Melbourne [Australia]: The Australian tour hasn’t been a bed of rosses for the Indian team as a whole since the beginning. The team had to compromise on the key players and even registered their lowest score ever in the Test Cricket history.
India’s pacer Mohammed Siraj who took maiden five-wicket haul on the Day 4 of the Gabba Test, had to face a lot personal struggles as well. The youngster had lost his father in the middle of the series but was not able to travel back for his final rites due to the bio-bubble restrictions. Adding more to this, Siraj had to face racial abuse on day 2 of the SCG Test about which BCCI filed a formal complaint with the Cricket Australia.
Amid all these the Indian pace spearhead picked five wickets in the 2nd innings of the Gabba Test. Talking about his spectacular innings on Day 4, Siraj said that its was a call with his mother that gave him the confidence to win the day for fulfilling his dad’s wish.
“I am thankful that I was able to pick five wickets as it was a very tough situation for me after my dad passed away. But after talking to my mom at home, I gained some confidence. The call with my mom made me mentally strong. My focus was to fulfill my dad’s wish”, said Siraj in a statement made to ANI.
“I want to thank god that I god the chance to play for India as it was my dad’s wish too. If he was alive today, he would have been very happy. But I know his blessings were with me and I am speechless after my performance”, he said.
