'When you are free or available...': Siraj namedrops Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli in strong take over BCCI's Ranji diktat

India pacer Mohammed Siraj believes every player should represent their state in domestic cricket when the schedule allows for it. The speedster's comments came after he stepped onto the field for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy tie against Vidarbha. This was the first time in five years that the 30-year-old played for the state in a red-ball competition.

In the match, which Vidarbha eventually won by 58 runs, Siraj took four wickets, three of which came in the second innings.

Recently, after the loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI issued a diktat for centrally contracted players, making it mandatory to play domestic cricket to remain in contention for selection and central contracts.

In the aftermath, the last two rounds of the Ranji Trophy season have seen several players represent their state teams. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai), Virat Kohli (Delhi), KL Rahul (Karnataka), Rishabh Pant (Delhi) and Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra) all played at least one match in the Ranji Trophy.

“When you are free or available as a player, you have to take time out to represent your State. The youngsters in the team will be motivated by your presence. They will get a boost too, sharing dressing rooms with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai. It is a good sign for the new generation,” Siraj told Sportstar.

'Red-ball cricket is my life'

The pacer said that Test cricket is his life and that he will do anything to succeed at the international level. It is important to state that Siraj has played nearly twice as many Tests as Ranji Trophy matches (19).

“Red-ball cricket is my life, and I will do anything to play it. I have always said Test cricket is my everything,” the Hyderabad pacer said.

“When I get the red ball in hand, I enjoy it a lot. I don’t think about my performance too. You can see I bowl long spells. That is because I love this format so much,” he added.

Certain fans wanted Siraj to take a break, as no other Indian bowler in international cricket has bowled more deliveries than him since 2021. He recently played all five Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

“As a human being, of course, you need some rest from time to time. But when you have the ball in hand, and you are representing your country, you just run in and bowl,” the pacer said.

“Your biggest motivation is playing for the nation. This has been your dream since childhood, so when you get the opportunity, you will want to grab it. I just enjoy the fact that I’m realising my dream of playing for India,” he added.

Siraj is not part of India's ODI squad for the upcoming three matches against England and the Champions Trophy. It remains to be seen whether he will be picked if Jasprit Bumrah doesn't get fit in time for the tournament, which begins on February 19.