'Every newspaper in Hyderabad has your photo' - Mohammed Siraj’s father was hospitalised just before his magical spell against KKR

The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mohammad Siraj stunned the cricket fraternity with his ‘magical performance’ as he ripped through Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) top-order. While playing against the Knight Riders on October 21, Wednesday at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Siraj had scripted a massive victory for RCB.

Losing the toss, RCB was sent to bowl first. As the pitch generated swing in the first over of the game, the skipper Virat Kohli made the decision of handing the new ball to Siraj instead of the spinner Washington Sundar. This proved to be a masterstroke for the Challengers as Siraj took the first three wickets without conceding a single run in two overs. Thus, he became the first bowler in the 13-year history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to bowl two maidens in a match. RCB restricted KKR to a paltry 84/8 and chased down the target in 13.3 overs.

The Hyderabadi pacer, who returned with brilliant figures of 4-2-8-3 by getting better of Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Tom Banton revealed that his father was hospitalised before the game and he was depressed about the same throughout the evening. In the video uploaded by RCB on their YouTube channel, Siraj stated that his father is having some problems while breathing these days and it is a tough phase for the cricketer as he can’t pay a visit to his ailing father.

The biggest surprise for me was that dad was home: Mohammed Siraj

“My dad is unwell these days. His lungs are in bad shape so he has difficulty breathing. I am really worried about that. I can’t even go home to meet and motivate him. I talk on the phone but whenever I do, he starts crying. I can’t even talk for longer hours because I don’t like seeing him crying. So I disconnect the phone early because I can’t hold myself for long. So, I pray to God for his good health. He was admitted to the hospital before the last game. I was really concerned that dad was in the hospital,” Siraj said in the video.

Describing the reaction of his father on his extraordinary performance against KKR, Siraj stated that his father is basking in joy as every newspaper in Hyderabad had his photo. Also, the pacer is receiving acknowledgment and praise for his performance from all over the world.

“However, when I called home after the match, the biggest surprise for me was that dad was home. That made me really happy, even the match had gone my way. He told me that he was really pleased that everyone was calling him to tell him about my performance….every newspaper in Hyderabad has your photo. I said it’s all because of the blessings of God, this all has happened. You don’t worry, stay home and eat, whatever you want to eat,” the pacer concluded.