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"Baap ke sath auto chalao": Siraj exposes ugly side of fans; credits Dhoni for golden advice

Soumyajit Dutta

Mohammed Siraj with MS Dhoni [Source: @chixxsays/X.com]Mohammed Siraj with MS Dhoni [Source: @chixxsays/X.com]

Mohammed Siraj has been on cloud nine after his extraordinary finish during the West Indies Test series. He returned with figures of 4/40 and 3/31 from his two innings. After returning from England with a successful and heavy workload, Siraj has also managed to make it to the ODI squad of Team India for the Australia tour.

Cherishing his recent exploits, Siraj, however, credited India legend MS Dhoni for his success and mental fortitude while speaking exclusively to Express Sports.

Siraj on MS Dhoni's guidance

Speaking during a candid interview with Express Sports, Siraj shared that it was MS Dhoni who helped him fight the mental wars and go through the ups and downs of his career.

"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 in the interview.

Siraj criticises double-faced fans

Mohammed Siraj then criticised fans who trolled him after one failure, neglecting his other heroics that he cultivated constantly.

"Yes, 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. Jaake apne baap ke saath auto chalao’ (go and ride the auto with your father) — what’s the point of this? You are hero in one match and zero in another (smiles)," Siraj added.

Siraj admitted that he was surprised by the trolling and the constant backstabbing from his own fans, which helped him develop the 'don't care' mentality.

"People change that quickly? I decided that I don’t need outside opinion and validation. What my teammates and family think of me is important, people who matter. I don’t care what others think," Siraj concluded.

Nevertheless, Siraj will be gearing up now to face the Australian heat starting from October 19. The ODI series, meanwhile, will see India led by new captain Shubman Gill, replacing Rohit Sharma.