Siraj admitted he was left stunned when Suryakumar Yadav first called to tell him to get ready for a last-minute link-up with India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Mohammed Siraj justified his late inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad, drafted in after Harshit Rana’s injury, with a sensational spell in the tournament opener against the USA, giving the team management instant returns on their call. There was no hint of rustiness from Siraj, who returned figures of 3/29 and once again proved he’s always prepared to step up for the side. Drafted straight into the XI after Jasprit Bumrah missed out due to illness, he made an immediate impact, striking early blows to derail the USA’s chase.
Meanwhile, Siraj admitted he was left stunned when skipper Suryakumar Yadav first called to tell him to get ready for a last-minute link-up with India’s T20 World Cup squad. Recounting the whirlwind behind his sudden inclusion, the pacer spoke about initially brushing off Surya’s message as a joke — only for a follow-up call from the selectors to confirm that his unexpected return to the national setup was very real.
“Two days Surya bhai said: “Miyaan bags pack kaar aur aaja (Pack your bags and come (to Mumbai)). I told him “Bhai mazaak maat karo kyon ki yeh to honewala hain nahi (Brother please don’t joke as this won’t happen). But he said ‘mai sach keh raha hoon, ready ho ja’ (I am telling you the truth, get ready).
“Then (India selector Pragyan) Ojha bhai called me… Whatever the almighty has written, no one can change that,” an elated Siraj narrated his comeback story in the post-match presentation.
When asked about how he had planned for the break in February after playing a couple of Ranji Trophy matches for Hyderabad, Siraj said, “There is a Real Madrid game on 15th and I was going to watch it and after that Ramzan, but whatever the almighty has written…”
In fact, when the team’s S&C coach, Adrian Le Roux, had messaged him asking “what’s the plan”, Siraj had replied: “‘Don’t message me right now because I have played two four-day games and I need rest. I will see after this what the plan is.”
“I had understood that I won’t be a part of T20 WC squad”
Siraj admitted his late entry into India’s T20 World Cup squad still felt surreal, as he reflected on boarding the flight without ever expecting to be part of the tournament after being out of the T20I plans for much of the past year.
“It was feeling like a dream when I was on the flight, because I had not thought about playing in the World Cup,” Siraj said.
“The planning was going on for the last one year, those who were bound to play in this were getting the chances and since I had not played T20Is, I had understood that I won’t be a part of it,” he added.