Considered to be a batting-heavy side, Siraj and Harshal have ensured that RCB have the edge over others. ©BCCI/IPL
It was exactly two years ago when Mohammed Siraj was not just trolled in this day and age of keyboard critics, but the passionate Royal Challengers Bangalore's fans were calling for him to be left out of the side. Not just for the lack of wickets, but for the sheer number of runs he would leak every time he would come on to bowl. In the Indian Premier League of 2019, he played 9 games but returned just seven wickets and conceded at 9.55.
During the lockdown of 2020, apart from the fitness aspects of things, Siraj focussed mainly on working on his strengths, which he singled out to be back-of-the-length deliveries and yorkers. Once grounds opened up, he trained at a private ground close to the Hyderabad airport, spending hours at end bowling in the nets to critique his bowling watching and re-watching his videos to make a well-rounded assessment. Two years since, Siraj is a different bowler. Now the same fans describe him as an asset, and his turnaround, astonishing. The villain from not-so-long-ago has turned into quite the hero, not just for RCB, but for India as well.
"The confidence has come from the exposure and form I had during the Australia Tests. It feels good," Siraj said on Thursday (April 22) ahead of
