Siraj’s father passed away on Friday after battling a lung ailment in Hyderabad. The BCCI gave him an option to return home but he chose to stay with the team.
A maiden Test call-up for the tour of Australia was a memorable moment of Mohammed Siraj’s life. Moreover, it was his father’s dream to see his son playing for the country. But before Siraj could play a Test match for India, he was struck by one of the gruesome tragedies. Siraj’s father passed away on Friday after battling a lung ailment in Hyderabad. The BCCI gave him an option to return home but he chose to stay with the team.
“He was very close to my father. Whenever he calls now, he just cries. He doesn’t say anything. He says one-word, ‘Abbu’ and then cries. May God give him strength. This is all I want to say. I am also heartbroken, but I have my family and relatives with me. Siraj is totally shattered by this news. He is alone. I keep calling him to give him support,” Ismail told Times of India.
Ismail stated that Siraj wishes to win the Test series for his late father. He has promised to perform well in the series Down Under.
“Siraj has promised that he will do well in the series and pay a fitting tribute to our father. He wants to win the series for him,” Ismail added.
The 26-year-old recently played the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He managed to take 11 wickets from nine matches this season for the Virat Kohli-led side.
Siraj has played one ODI and three T20Is for India. The pacer is yet to take a wicket in the 50-over format, but he has three wickets in T20Is.
The Indian squad is currently in the middle of a 14-day quarantine period in Australia and all players have been training in Sydney with an eye on the protocols put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
India and Australia are slated to lock horns in three ODIs, three T20Is, and four Tests. The first ODI will be played on November 27 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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