Siraj was seen wiping his tears while national anthem played before stat of SCG Test.
Siraj was given the option by BCCI to fly back to India for his father’s last rites, but the Hyderabad fast bowler decided to stay back in India and aim to fulfill his father’s wish of playing Test cricket for India.
The dream came true in the second Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), when Siraj was handed his India Test cap, as he replaced injured Mohammad Shami in the playing XI. He picked five wickets in what was an emphatic win for India, as they leveled the series 1-1 after a humiliating defeat in Adelaide.
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Siraj retained his place in the XI for the SCG and was seen in tears while singing the national anthem, before the start of the Test match. The official Twitter handle of cricket.com.au shared a small clip of Siraj getting emotional as the national anthem of India was being played.
It was a huge sacrifice from Mohammed Siraj to let go of a chance to see his father for the last time and while the Indian team supported him fully, Siraj’s family had said in interviews that he cried whenever he calls home after his father’s death.
However, his brother Mohammed Ismail was proud that Siraj was able to fulfill his father’s dream and played Test cricket for India.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif, a former India player, took to Twitter to share Siraj’s photo of wiping tears and captioned the post, “I just want certain people to remember this picture. He is #SirajMohammed and this is what the national anthem means to him.”
Mohammad Kaif’s caption had a subtle dig at the current political and social ongoing in the country, with protests and riots happening in the past year or two which did much damage to the capital of the country Delhi.