Mohammed Siraj opened up about valuable life lessons he learned from MS Dhoni recently. The Indian pacer shared how Dhoni taught him to handle criticism like a pro. Siraj explained that fans praise you after good performances but troll you badly otherwise.
The fast bowler faced severe online hate throughout his career despite taking crucial wickets. Trolls even told him to “go ride the auto with your father” after poor matches. Siraj’s father drove an auto-rickshaw, which trolls used to mock him cruelly back then.
Dhoni’s Wise Words on Handling Criticism
MS Dhoni advised Siraj to completely ignore what random people say about him online. The legendary keeper told him Fans will love you today and hate you tomorrow. Public opinion changes faster than the weather based on your last match performance only.
“I remember when I joined the India team, MS Dhoni had told me, ‘Kisi ki baaton mein nahin aana. Jab tu acha karega, toh poori duniya tumhare saath rahegi, aur jab kharaab karega, yahi duniya tujhe gaali degi.’ (Don’t pay attention to what others say. When you are performing well, the entire world will be with you, and when you aren’t, they will abuse you),” Siraj said.
Siraj took this advice seriously and stopped reading comments from strangers on social media. He realised only his family and teammates’ opinions actually matter in life, really. This mental shift helped him focus purely on improving his bowling skills consistently.
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Learning to Block Out Negativity
The Hyderabad pacer admitted that harsh criticisms affected him badly in his early career days. Getting trolled for his father’s profession hurt him deeper than regular cricket criticism. But Dhoni’s guidance taught him to separate noise from what truly matters always.
“The trolling was bad. When you perform, the fans and the world will be with you and say, ‘there is no bowler like Siraj’. In the next game, if you don’t perform, they will say, ‘Arre, what sort of bowler is this. Go and ride the auto with your father. What’s the point of this? You are hero in one match and zero in another,” he added.
Siraj now values support from close ones over praise from millions of strangers. He stopped letting external validation or hate control his emotions or confidence levels. This maturity shows in his consistent performances for India across different formats lately.
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Preparing for the Australia Series
Siraj bowled brilliantly against the West Indies in the recent Test series at home. He grabbed important wickets and helped India dominate throughout those matches completely. The pacer now gears up for the three-match ODI series against Australia soon.
Playing under the new captain, Shubman Gill, will be a fresh experience for him. Siraj wants to maintain his current form and deliver match-winning spells Down Under.
