"I used to get 100-200 rupees"- An emotional Mohammed Siraj recalls struggle in his early days to make ends meet

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has had to work extremely hard to reach where he is today. While he has achieved fame and has been successful for India, the pacer hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings and his roots.

In a video posted by BCCI on Siraj's 30th birthday, the fast bowler was seen recalling his early days where his family's financial condition wasn't great. He revealed that he used to work at a catering job to help his family financially.

Here's what Mohammed Siraj said:

"When I was about 18 years of age, I used to go for the catering job. Family used to urge me to focus on my studies but I always wanted to play cricket. We used to live on rent and dad was the lone earner in the family. So I used to work even though I didn't know much about it."

He added:

"I used to get 100-200 rupees out of which 150 I would give at home and keep 50 for personal expenses. Those times..(gets emotional) you touched a sensitive topic (smiles). My hands used to burn when I used to try and turn the roomali rotis. I have had my share of struggles and that's why I am here."

Mohammed Siraj was visibly emotional remembering his late father, who used to drive an autorickshaw and gather finances to help his son fulfil his dream of being a professional cricketer. Siraj lost his father while he was on national duty during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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Mohammed Siraj was close to quitting cricket in 2019-20

Mohammed Siraj also made a stunning revelation that he was considering leaving the game of cricket around the 2019-20 period. However, the pacer did not give up and things eventually fell into place for him and he hasn't looked back ever since.

On this, he stated:

"I had told myself in 2019/20 that this is the last year I would give myself and I would leave cricket (if nothing materializes). If I had not struggled, I wouldn't have understood the value of it. No one knows this news."

In the video, Siraj also showed the viewers the Eidgah ground in Hyderabad, where he had grown up playing tennis ball cricket. He added:

"Whenever I land in Hyderabad, my first thought is that I would go home and then head to Eidgah (ground). The peace that I get when I go there is something I don't get anywhere in the world. It's just incomparable. I have spent my childhood there, played there with my childhood friends. We get together there, drink tea and share a few laughs."

The video ended with some of Mohammed Siraj's friends opening up about how proud they felt watching the pacer receive plaudits while performing in an Indian cricket team jersey. They were delighted to see just how humble Siraj was despite all his success.