Mohammed Siraj has become a mainstay in India’s Test team. The 31-year-old from Hyderabad played all five matches in both the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. He had a good run, taking 20 wickets against Australia and 23 against England. His bowling in the Birmingham and Oval Tests was crucial in India’s 2-2 draw against England.
In the recent series against England, Siraj’s on-field aggression caught everyone’s attention. He had heated exchanges with Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Duckett. In a recent interview with RevSportz, Siraj said he learned this from Virat Kohli who taught him to see opponents as enemies on the field but as friends off the field.
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Learned a valuable lesson
I learned a valuable lesson from Virat Kohli: his fighting spirit. He’s very friendly off the field but when he’s on the field he considers the opposition his enemy. I like that in him. My aggressive bowling comes from that, Siraj told RevSportz. If I don’t show that aggression on the field I can’t bowl well. I’ve been with Virat Kohli in RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and we have a great understanding. Fast bowlers need to be aggressive on the field and Virat Kohli is even more aggressive than the bowlers.
Siraj shares incident from Anderson Tendulkar trophy
Siraj recalled a particular moment during the last Test at The Oval: When Brook and Root were building a partnership we were losing hope. But I encouraged everyone and we got Root’s wicket and took the upper hand. I’ve also learned from Virat how to use the crowd’s support. The crowd’s support can really motivate a bowler and boost his confidence.
Love and admiration for Virat
A picture of a Virat Kohli jersey framed in Siraj’s room went viral showing their strong bond. It’s easy to see Kohli’s influence in Siraj’s passionate displays and Siraj openly admits he learned to express his emotions from his coach, Virat bhai.
In the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Siraj took 9 wickets, 4 in the first innings and 5 in the second.Aggression alone doesn’t win matches but focused aggression can make a difference. That’s what Kohli taught and Siraj has learned. Now as India looks ahead Siraj’s role as a main bowler will depend on his skill and the intensity he learned from Kohli. Their bond proves that cricket is about both personal and performance.
