It is no hidden secret that pacer Mohammed Siraj, just like many other players in the Indian dressing room hold Virat Kohli in high regards. His love and admiration for the former skipper was evident in an incident the pacer shared about Kohli on The RCB Podcast.
He shared how the then skipper Virat Kohli accepted his invitation and payed a visit to his home in Toli Chowki to give the pacer the biggest surprise of his life.
Siraj, on The RCB Podcast said that he had invited his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team mates to his home for a biryani treat but was left dejected when Kohli told him he wouldn't be able to attend the event due to a stiff back.
"I had invited everyone from RCB to my house for dinner. I went home straight from the hotel. When I called him (Virat) up, he said “I have a stiff back miyan, I can’t come," he said.
"I told him to rest. What more could I say. But, when everyone came, I saw him get off the car. Everyone was there, PP (Parthiv Patel) Bhai, Chahal Bhai. I just ran towards Bhaiya (Virat) and hugged him. It was the best surprise of my life. Because Bhaiya (Virat) had said he won’t come. It became news, Virat Kohli has come to Toli Chowki.
Siraj opened up about how his life changed completely ever since he started playing in the IPL. The Hyderabad-born pacer is one of the three players to be retained by RCB for IPL 2022. The other two players are Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell.
"I only had struggles, my dad used to drive an auto, I only had a Platina. Dad used to give me 60 rupees for Petrol. I would manage with that to reach Uppal Stadium, which was quite far from my house. When I was selected for the IPL, all those struggles came to an end. Dad stopped driving the auto, mom stopped doing household work, we stopped living in rented accommodation, we bought a new house. I didn’t need anything else in life. All I needed was my parents to be happy in a house we own. IPL gave me fame, it taught me the ways to be in social circles from meeting and talking to so many people. I learned so much. It’s all because of IPL," Siraj added.
