‘I only have a cricket ball in my hands’

Mohammed Siraj has opened up about the recent Champions Trophy snub where he was left out of the Indian team. India, who were also missing pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah due to injury, had gone on to win the title, defeating New Zealand in the final.
Ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League, Siraj, who will play for the Gujarat Titans, was asked about being left out of the Indian team for the Champions Trophy.
“Look, selection is not in my hands. I have only a cricket ball in my hands and I wanted to do as much as I can with that. I don’t want to put pressure on myself thinking about selection, as I want to focus on my performance,” Siraj told PTI.
Story continues below this ad

Siraj also added that tournaments like the Asia Cup and the upcoming series against England are at the back of his mind even though he tries to focus on the present. “Yeah aș a player, it remains in the back of your mind that there is a tour of England and the Asia Cup but I don’t really seriously think about it, as my focus is on IPL and doing well for Gujarat Titans and helping them win another IPL title,” he said.
Siraj was released the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL mega auction. In the auction, Siraj found a new home at the Titans, who were seeking a replacement for Mohammed Shami.
“I have been playing for some years now, and usually, we don’t get that much rest. But now that I have got some time off, I have worked on my fitness and bowling skills. I have worked really hard with how to bowl with new and old balls, and I wanted to work on my slower balls and yorkers. This time I really used to work on those areas, and let’s how things pan out for me in this IPL,” he added.