NEW DELHI: Performance on the sporting field can make any sportsperson an overnight star, but when the tide turns, they suddenly become the subject of social media trolling - something Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has also experienced in his career.

In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, India's star pacer Siraj reminisced about the piece of advice he received from none other than MS Dhoni after his struggles in IPL 2019. The right-arm pacer had even urged his fans at the time not to praise him only when he performs well.

"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).

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). 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 said.

In the midst of his early struggles in Hyderabad, Siraj tried to ease his mother's worries about his uncertain future. With remarkable self-belief, he told her that one day he would earn so much that there wouldn't be enough space to keep all the money.

"I remember that day - I was getting a sound beating from my mother when I said that. As usual, I was playing cricket and my mother didn't like it. She said, I don't worry about my future. That's when I asked her to stop beating me and that I would earn so much money one day that there wouldn't be any place in the house to keep it. I told her, 'You don't worry, I will do it.'

It is said that of all the things one says during a day, one of those things comes true. So that day what I said was accepted by the almighty. Confidence is very important if you want to play top-flight cricket. If you don't have confidence in yourself, you can't do anything in life. Only if you have belief, will you achieve the goal you have set for yourself. If you believe that I can bowl a yorker and I will get a wicket, you will succeed. Only if you visualise in your mind, think that if I bowl like this I will get a wicket, you will get a certain confidence to execute it. You also need to train for that. If you train hard, you will be able to execute in the match," he added.