6 days ago
Mohammed Siraj On Why He Didn't Celebrate Rohit Sharma's Wicket: 'Have A Lot...'
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GT pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed why he didn't celebrate Rohit Sharma's wicket during their IPL 2025 match.
Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed he refrained from celebrating Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma's wicket during their match earlier in IPL 2025 out of 'respect'.
GT and MI played against each other twice this season. In the first encounter, early in the season, Rohit faced Siraj in the first over. The Mumbaikar hit the pacer for two boundaries against in-swingers that were loose and too much on the leg-side. But Siraj came back with a brilliant scrambled-seam ball on a length outside off that cut back sharply to clean-bowl him on the next.
Instead of his trademark Ronaldo Sui celebration, Siraj just happlily with his arms wide, pointed to himself and then did a 'calm-down' gesture, as if saying he didn't want to celebrate.
'My first match didn't go well — it was a high-intensity game after a long break. But I learned from it and focused on my bowling. Against Rohit bhai, I tried swinging the ball twice, but it didn't work. Then I stuck to my plan and got the wicket. I have a lot of respect for him, which is why I didn't celebrate much," Siraj said on JioHotstar's Gen Bold special, as quoted by IANS.
The battle was hyped up in the media beforehand for Siraj had only recently missed out on India's Rohit-led Champions Trophy squad. The skipper mentioned in his press conference that India didn't trust Siraj past the powerplay overs — which didn't help the Hyderabadi quick.
'My plan was to stay in the present," he said. The Champions Trophy selection was very important to me, but I told myself it's not over yet. ICC events mean a lot to any player — but I knew I had to focus on my skills and fitness. I had to enjoy my bowling again. Now, I feel confident and I'm enjoying it a lot," he added.
Siraj and Rohit will go against each other again on Friday as MI takes on GT in the Eliminator of IPL 2025. Ahead of the crucial game, Siraj spoke about his best moment of the season — a spell of 4/17 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at his home ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
'The most memorable moment was having my family in the stadium. Performing in front of them gives me a lot of confidence. My parents supported me so much and worked really hard — we've seen tough times. But when their son performs in front of thousands, they feel proud. I felt amazing knowing they were there — it's a different feeling, hard to describe, but I really enjoyed that moment. Even though I was technically a visiting player, it felt like bowling at home. That made it even more special," the pacer said.
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