The Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj along with other players returned to their home soil after their historic win and success down under on Thursday 21st of January 2021.
All the players returned to their respective homes and rejoiced their historic win with their supporters and family members but immediately upon landing in Hyderabad at 9am in the morning , Siraj , from a triumphant tour down under where he made his test debut and was India’s highest wicket taker by picking 13 wickets , went to the graveyard in Khairatabad to pay tribute to his late father Mohammed Ghouse , who passed away at an age of 53 due to a lung ailment.
Siraj’s father passed away when he was with the Indian team in a bio bubble but he decided to stay on with the team and play for the country which was his father’s dream and his decision was immensely supported by his family members . Late Mohammed Ghouse was an auto driver who supported Mohammed Siraj right throughout his career and provided him with all the necessities to play cricket despite of all the financial adversities.
It had only been a week for Siraj with the Indian team when his father passed away. Though, the team had offered him to go back and attend his father’s funeral but Siraj decided to fulfill his father’s ultimate dream of playing for India which he did tremendously. Siraj made his test debut in the boxing day test match against Australia and took a 5 wicket haul in the Gabba test and played an instrumental role in the India’s 2-1 victory over the Australians in their own backyard.
Things were not going very easy for Mohammed Siraj, the lanky pacer firstly due to the sudden demise of his father who was the backbone of his life and secondly due to racial abuse which he had faced from the Australian crowd along with his fellow teammate Jasprit Bumrah in the 3rd test at Sydney. But siraj showed great character and determination in tough times in handling these situations.
Siraj said that his father’s death made him mentally strong and it helped him deal with the racial abuse that he faced from the Australian crowd. On his return , Mohammed Siraj laid flowers , offered prayers and spent some quiet hours at his father’s graveyard . This was a great tribute to his late father whom he cconsidered as the pillar of his life. Wherever his father is, he must be really proud on what his son has achieved for the country .
