Those who were introduced to Mohammed Siraj through Test cricket don’t know the full story.

A good chunk of Indian fans identify him through the IPL, but the first impressions from his formative years in the tournament weren’t always fond. Siraj was one of many upcoming quicks and had found a place in Virat Kohli’s side Royal Challengers Bangalore at 23, but his pace often sent the ball in very hittable slots, and top-class batsmen would often find ways to make his economy rates shoot up.

That feels like a long, long time ago. Those were just first impressions of a rookie quick, and never really reflected his developing potential, especially with the red ball.

Over the last year, Siraj’s meteoric Test rise has grabbed eyeballs left, right and centre – here’s a zippy fast bowler hungry to pounce on the opponents, to tear them into bits and devour, eyes flush with intensity and indubitable talent to match. It’s a far cry from the Siraj who was the target of nagging scrutiny in the IPL, who constantly copped nasty jeering on social media – to the point he publicly hit back at those who overlooked the struggle it took for him to reach the level he did. His success, today, isn’t just the story of a promising up-and-coming 27-year-old bowler, but redemption for a youngster who encountered several bumps before he could stand tall.

The trolls have now fallen silent as Siraj reaches new heights as a Test cricketer, capitalising on his big break in Australia to become a raging force in India’s ever-improving bowling attack. Down Under, Siraj generated peppy pace, angling the ball into right-handers in his usual fashion. His sharp in-swinger and general accuracy were his USPs – it helped him become the highest wicket-taker for Hyderabad in the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy, and it’s played a part in him earning 181 first-class wickets at 23.81. On India A’s tour to the UK in 2018, an uncapped Siraj showed signs of brilliance with the red ball, capturing Alastair Cook, Rory Burns, Dawid Malan and Sam Curran in a four-day game. But those numbers have often been overshadowed by his expensive white-ball showings. Not anymore.

A seven-Test-old Siraj is now standing shoulder to shoulder with the established trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, making waves in England. He keeps spearing the ball at batsmen, giving them no respite after the other three have done their part, and he does it with a bit of his fiery charisma. Siraj means business, and he lets it show on the field – there’s the loud cry after a wicket, an energetic fist pump, and sometimes, even an exaggerated signal like a finger-on-lip gesture that he’s slowly turning into a trademark. In gleeful celebrations, he even reminds you of a tad of a toned-down Sreesanth, although I’ll push the comparisons only that far.

At Lord’s, Siraj kept the pressure on without letting the energy dip, and didn’t allow the English batsmen to have the liberty of going easy against the least-experienced bowler in the line-up, adjusting to the slope and placidness admirably to steal eight wickets. It included a fiery spell on the fifth day when India needed him to step up the most. In fact, the ability to thrive under constant pressure seems to be one of his biggest traits, which he showcased on the Australia tour when an injury-hit team left him as the spearhead of an attack he was inducted into just days before.

Then, he had to endure the news of the loss of his father while being in Australia – a new book reveals that an isolated Siraj, stuck in his room, couldn’t even get a teammate’s shoulder to cry on – and it toughened him to the extent that he coaxed himself to succeed. On the same debut tour, he allegedly dealt with racial abuse from boorish fans, but didn’t back away from the situation, showing exemplary courage to call it out. The remarkable character forms the essence of his bowling.

It’s been just ten months since and Siraj has already made his late father proud, along with the rest of the country which is basking in the celebration of a newfound gem.

As India thrives in the glory of its rampaging pace attack, with one eye on the future, Siraj seamlessly fits in the grand scheme of things, acting as the perfect supplement to the senior quicks. Once the Ishants and Shamis walk away, Siraj will still be young enough to take on the baton and run many marathons, and his 100-metre dashes thus far have given enough evidence that he’s in for the long haul.