Mohammed Siraj had to take a tough and painful call back in 2021 when he lost his father just before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic and there was a strict bio-bubble rule that was in place at that point of time. Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed how a heartbroken Siraj was left all alone at a time when he needed a shoulder to cry on and his valiant act that followed.
‘Father’s dream to…’
Speaking on Bombay Sports Exchange, Arun revealed that Siraj had been given a chance to go back to his family if he wanted to following his father’s demise. The ex-India bowling coach said that Siraj had insisted on staying back, claiming that it was his father’s dream to see him play Test cricket for India. The BGT 2020-21 was the very series that Siraj had made his Test debut.
“He got on a video call, and I spoke to him, then we asked him, ‘Would you like to go back?’ Ravi told me that it is so far away, so what can be done now? Siraj then told me that it was his father’s dream to watch him play Tests. He said, ‘I will stay here. ’ I thought that was outstanding,” said Arun.
Siraj had an outstanding debut series, finishing with 13 wickets from 6 innings. He was one of the star performers in India’s famous win at The Gabba where the Men in Blue ended Australia’s undefeated streak. In that game, he finished with a five-wicket haul to his name. However, he had to deal with a lot of emotions before the start of the series.
“It was the five-star jail. The manager was the only one to go. He got special permission, but none of us could visit him. It was really tough. We spoke a lot on the phone. We spoke on WhatsApp calls. But that was it. There’s nothing like human touch. Shoulder to cry on, at that point, would have meant a lot to Siraj, but there was no shoulder to cry on,” Arun stated.
