Will Mohammed Siraj return to India: The Indian fast bowler’s father succumbed to a lung ailment in Hyderabad yesterday.
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India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who is currently part of the 19-member Test squad in Australia, lost his father Mohammed Ghouse after the 53-year old succumbed to a lung ailment in Hyderabad.
Siraj was part of the Indian contingent which flew from the UAE to Australia directly after playing the 13th season of the Indian Premier League. Having made his T20I debut against New Zealand in Rajkot in 2017, Siraj had played his first ODI during India’s previous tour of Australia last year.
In what remains his solitary ODI till date, Siraj will be competing for a Test spot among the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini and Ishant Sharma (if fit).
Playing IPL 2020 under India captain Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Siraj was RCB’s joint-highest wicket-taker (alongside Chris Morris) on the back of picking 11 wickets in nine matches at an average of 21.45, an economy rate of 8.68 and a strike rate of 14.81 which included match-winning bowling figures of 4-2-8-3 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.
Will Mohammed Siraj return to India post father’s demise?
In the official statement issued by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), it has been mentioned that Siraj was offered the option of flying back to India to be with his family but the 26-year old player opted to continue to train with Indian the team.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had a discussion with Siraj and he was offered the option of flying back and be with his family in this hour of grief.
May Mohammed siraj have a lot of strength to overcome this loss..lots of good wishes for his success in this trip.. tremendous character @bcci
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) November 21, 2020
“The fast bowler has decided to stay with the Indian contingent and continue performing his national duties. The BCCI shares his grief and will be supportive of Siraj in this extremely challenging phase,” read BCCI’s statement.
While the three-match ODI series will begin from November 27 in Sydney, the first Test will commence from December 17 in Adelaide and will be a day-night contest.
