Mohammed Siraj drives straight from airport to graveyard to pay last respects to his departed father

The last few months have been absolutely surreal for Mohammed Siraj. In November, he was in Australia preparing for the recently-concluded Test series when he heard the devastating news of the passing away of his father, Mohammed Ghouse. Ghouse was 53 and passed away after a battle with a lung ailment.

Siraj received an offer from the BCCI to return home to be with his bereaved family but he decided to stay in Australia and what followed thereafter was nothing less than a fairytale. In the last couple of months, Siraj went from being India’s backup bowler to the leader of the pace attack as he helped the team register a monumental Test series win Down Under.

After warming the bench during the first Test, Siraj made his debut in the second Test following a series-ending injury to Mohammed Shami. And Siraj did not look back after that. He picked up five wickets in his debut Test, helping India thrash Australia by eight wickets at the MCG. The right-arm pacer picked up two in the following Test before taking six including a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the fourth Test.

His spell played a crucial role in India’s historic series-clinching triumph at the Gabba where they chased down 328. Siraj’s performance came when India India were in desperate need of a pace-bowling leader in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The 26-year-old finished the series as India’s highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets.

Mohammed Siraj’s tribute for father

While Mohammed Siraj has been receiving accolades and praise from all over for his stunning show in Australia, the pacer was well aware of the loss he had suffered in the form of his father while being in Australia. While his teammates went to their respective homes for a much-deserved rest, Siraj drove straight from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad to the graveyard in Khairtabad to pay his last respect to his departed father.

Speaking about the same to Sports Today, Mohammed Siraj said, “I didn’t go home, directly. I went to the graveyard straight from the airport, I went there to sit with my dad for some time. I couldn’t speak to him but offered flowers to his grave. And then I came home. When I met my mom, she started crying.

“Then I tried to console her, telling her not to cry. It was a different feeling. After 6-7 months, her son had come home. Mom was always waiting for me to return. She was counting down how many days were left for me to return.”

Meanwhile, Siraj will be seen in action soon next month when India hosts England. He has been named in the Test squad for the first two games. The four-match series against England will start on February 5 in Chennai.