“When I wore my cap in Melbourne, I thought ‘dad should’ve been here”- Mohammed Siraj recalls debut Test

“When I wore my cap in Melbourne, I thought ‘dad should’ve been here”- Mohammed Siraj recalls debut Test

Mohammed Siraj

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, has become a regular part of Team India, was intrumental in India’s triumph over Australia in 2021. He bowls with a lot of clarity and has improved himself over the years.

But his breakthrough came during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which was also his debut Test match. But it was the second match of the series where he debuted. He scalped five wickets in that match and claimed 13 in the series. He was also retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022. But when Team India landed in Australia, soon Siraj’s father passed away.

Speaking at a trailer launch of ‘Bandon Mein Tha Dum’, a web series, which will stream on Voot, Siraj recalled his Test debut.

“It was really tough for me. My dad was ill during the IPL too. But family members hadn’t told me that the matter was serious. I got to know about his condition when I landed in Australia.”

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“Fulfil your dad’s dream and make your country proud”- Mohammed Siraj’s mother to him

Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj also expressed his doubts of playing in the national team when there were already senior bowlers in the squad.

“There was Covid-19 protocol as well. We had to quarantine. When we had our practice, I got to know about dad’s death. My mother made me strong during that period. She told me, ‘Fulfil your dad’s dream and make your country proud’. This was my only motivation. I didn’t even know if I will get a chance to play. There were senior bowlers in the team,” Siraj added.

“I finally got an opportunity in the second Test… When I wore my cap in Melbourne, I thought ‘dad should’ve been here’. After Mohammed Shami got injured, I got a chance to play for India. One thing was there in my mind that I had performed well for India A and had scalped 8 wickets against Australia A. So, it gave me the confidence to do well in my first Test series for India.”

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