BCCI offered bereaved Mohammed Siraj the option of flying back to India; the pacer decided against it

On Saturday, November 21, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued an official statement regarding the passing away of Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj’s father, Mohammed Ghouse on Friday in India. Ghouse was 53 and lost the battle to a lung ailment in a hospital in Hyderabad.

Siraj is in Australia with the Indian squad for the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting from December 17 in Adelaide. He is the fifth bowling option along with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini. Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma is also expected to join the Indian contingent in Australia after passing the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

According to the statement released by the secretary of the Indian Board, Jay Shah, Siraj was offered the option of flying back to India to be with his family in this difficult time. However, the pacer has decided against it and will be continuing his stint in Australia as it was his father’s dream to see him win matches for the Men in Blue.

The statement read

Team India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj lost his father on Friday after a brief illness. 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.

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.

The BCCI requests the media to accord Siraj and his bereaved family members their space and privacy.

Siraj, who has represented India in 1 One Day International and three T20 Internationals till now, was included in the Indian squad for the red-ball cricket after his exemplary performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the just-concluded 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In 9 fixtures, the 26-year-old picked 11 wickets at an economy of 8.68 and an average of 21.45. He also bowled one of the most economical spells of the 2020 edition of the T20 extravaganza (3 for 8) in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).