Mohammed Siraj And Bajaj Platina Bike - A Symbol Of His Road To Glory

India's upcoming fast bowling talent Mohammed Siraj revealed that he possesses his Bajaj Platina bike on which he used to go to practice during the early years of his cricketing career. 

While talking to ABP Bengali before he boarded the flight to England as a part of the Indian squad who will play the inaugural World Test Championship(WTC) Final against New Zealand, Siraj recalled his embarrassing struggle with the bike which ultimately helped him make who he is now. 

“I still possess the decayed Bajaj Platina Bike. It was not in good condition when I used to ride it in my early cricketing days. It doesn’t have a self-start or even a kick. I had to run with it a few steps to start the engine. It helped me to reach the ground on time. But the vehicle was very embarrassing for me," Siraj said. 

“Whenever I played a match at Hyderabad, after practice or at the end of the match, I waited for my teammates to leave the stadium with their cars before I started my familiar struggle to start the bike. Now I have expensive cars. But I still hold that Platina Bike as this is a symbol of my struggle and it encourages me to bowl at my best,” he added. 

The lanky right-arm fast bowler had a dream debut series against Australia where he took most wickets for India - 13, to help India win a historic test series. The 27-year-old Siraj credits India skipper Virat Kohli, who is also his RCB captain, for helping in shaping his career. 

“Virat Bhai is always there. When I couldn’t perform well in the IPL two years back, he showed faith in my ability. He retained me in RCB and I am grateful for this,” said Siraj. 

The Hyderabad-born fast bowler made his T20I debut against New Zealand at Rajkot in November 2017, ODI debut in 2019 against Australia at Adelaide, and the Test debut in December 2020 at Melbourne against Australia. In five Tests, he has scalped 16 wickets with 5/73 his best against Aussies.