Siraj recalls abuse predicted by Dhoni 'Yahi duniya tujhe gaali degi'

Life was anything but a bed of roses for Mohammed Siraj till he started playing for India. It would be an exaggeration to state that it is one now, but Siraj has left his toughest days well behind. The 31-year-old man from Hyderabad, widely acknowledged as the second-best Indian fast bowler after Jasprit Bumrah, is very much aware of the high emotions that drive the Indian fans. Whether they would behave as devotees or become unforgiving entirely depends on the outcome of what transpires on the cricket field. Siraj has tasted both very early in his career.

The hero of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which India drew 2-2 against England, was once severely trolled for having a bad season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. In an interview with The Indian Express, Siraj, who made his IPL debut in 2017 before going on to play his first T20I in the same year, opened up about facing intense trolling during a rough IPL



phase — and the powerful words from MS Dhoni that helped him rise above it.

“When things didn’t go my way during the IPL, I was trolled very badly,” Siraj admitted. “One day, fans say ‘there’s no bowler like Siraj,’ and the next, if I don’t perform, they say ‘jaa ke apne baap ke saath auto chalao’ (go ride the auto with your father). What’s the point of this?”

Siraj recalled how this brutal flip in public opinion pushed him to tune out the noise and focus only on what truly mattered — his team and family.

“I remember when I joined the India team, MS Dhoni had told me, ‘Kisi ki baaton mein nahin aana. Jab tu acha karega, toh poori duniya tumhare saath rahegi, aur jab kharaab karega, yahi duniya tujhe gaali degi’ (Don’t pay attention to what others say. When you do well, everyone is with you. When you fail, they will be the first to abuse you).”