'It's my life': Mohammed Siraj makes strong statements on red-ball format and Rohit-Kohli’s Ranji return

A no. of India internationals appeared in the ongoing Ranji Trophy recently after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it compulsory for the centrally contracted players to make themselves available for domestic cricket.

Among those players was the fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who played for his domestic team Hyderabad against Vidarbha at the VCA stadium in Nagpur. It was a special moment for Siraj, who was playing his first domestic match in almost five years.

Interestingly, Siraj's previous Ranji match was also against the same team. Since then, he has established himself as a mainstay in every format for India, especially in Test cricket. He has picked up 100 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 30.74.

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“Red-ball cricket is my life" - Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj spoke to Sportstar about his return to domestic cricket after a long time. During the chat, he referred to red-ball cricket as his life and vowed to do anything to play it at the highest level.

"Playing for Hyderabad after so many years felt very good. It was great playing with some of my friends. “Red-ball cricket is my life and I will do anything to play it. I have always said Test cricket is my everything,” said Siraj.

Siraj hasn't been in great wicket-taking form lately in Test cricket and has been under the pump for his performance. However, he still loves the format and wants to bowl long spells for his team.

“When I get the red ball in hand, I enjoy it a lot. I don’t think about my performance too. You can see I bowl long spells. That is because I love this format so much,” the 30-year-old added.

Mohammed Siraj backs BCCI's decision

During the same conversation, Mohammed Siraj backed the BCCI's decision to make it compulsory for the national players to play domestic cricket in the absence of international cricket. He feels that the youngsters will be encouraged if they see the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing domestic cricket.

“When you are free or available as a player, you have to take time out to represent your State. The youngsters in the team will be motivated by your presence. They will get a boost too, sharing dressing rooms with Virat (Kohli) bhai and Rohit (Sharma) bhai. It is a good sign for the new generation,” Siraj said.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were among some of the high-profile Indian players who played Ranji Trophy for their respective teams recently. The BCCI made it compulsory for the centrally contracted players to make themselves available for domestic cricket regularly after the defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Mohammed Siraj's performance in BGT 2024-25

Mohammed Siraj played all five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and picked up 20 wickets at an average of 31.15. He wasn't consistent with his performances although he bowled the second-most number of overs in the series after Pat Cummins.

Siraj has bowled the most no. of balls by an Indian fast bowler across all the formats. He has bowled 7278 balls in total which makes him the fifth in the list of all the fast bowlers in the world.

However, Siraj didn't find a place in India's squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. India's captain Rohit Sharma suggested it was a tactical move to include Arshdeep Singh in place of Siraj because of the former's better death-bowling skills.