In many ways, the series between India and Australia in 2020/21, which was influenced by COVID-19, was unique in terms of circumstances and also in the result, with India winning it 2-1 with a young team after the injuries sustained through the series to the main players. And among many stars that rose through the four-match affair, the one who took the opportunity by the scruff of the neck and became a permanent member of the Indian team was Mohammed Siraj.
However, the Hyderabadi was going through a rough patch personally as his father had passed away back in India. But he could not return due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Australia at the time, and the Indian bowling coach back then, Bharat Arun, recalled how tough it was at the time to communicate with Siraj and keep him motivated. “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,” Arun said, speaking on the Bombay Sport Exchange.
“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,” he added. Despite the heartbreak, Siraj ran in and gave his best. Siraj claimed 13 scalps in three Tests he played in the four-match Test series, including a five-wicket haul on Day 4 of the Gabba Test, where India beat the Aussies by three wickets.
Following this, Siraj had remembered his father saying, “It was a tough situation, dad’s demise. I got strength after talking to mom and my focus was to realise dad’s dream. I got mentally strong with their support. I felt that whatever was dad’s desire, I have to fulfil that. It got fulfilled.”
