In the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj shined with the ball and impressed everyone in his debut Test series. The Hyderabad seamer went on to lead the pace attack when the frontline bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav – were out with injuries.
Siraj finished the series down under as the highest wicket-taker for India with 13 scalps to his credit. Overall, the right-armer was the third-highest wicket-taker.
Siraj performed exceptionally well, but on the personal front, the Australian tour wasn’t that easy for him. He faced a massive blow after reaching Australia. Before Siraj could feature in the Test team, his father Mohammed Ghaus passed away.
After returning to India, the firs thing Siraj did was to pay a visit to his father’s grave in Hyderabad. In a conversation with Sports Today, Siraj revealed that he just sat near his father’s grave and spent some time there.
“I didn’t go home directly. I went to the graveyard straight from the airport; I went there to sit with my dad for some time. I couldn’t speak to him but offered flowers to his grave,” said Siraj.
“And then I came home. When I met my mom, she started crying. Then I tried to console her, telling her not to cry. It was a different feeling. After 6-7 months, her son had come home. Mom was always waiting for me to return. She was counting down how many days were left for me to return,” he added.
India's hero #Siraj paying homage at the grave of his father Mohd Ghouse who passed away when he was on tour outside the country; the son has returned after fulfilling the father's much cherished dream to see his son play for the country & make it win @ndtv @ndtvindia #MohdSiraj pic.twitter.com/X44GUc2WdX
— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) January 21, 2021
The young Indian quick will now prepare for the upcoming Test series against England at home, beginning from February 5 in Chennai. Siraj has been named in the 18-member India squad along with Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, who also performed well in the Gabba Test.
