'Five-star jail...'- Bharat Arun recalls how Mohammed Siraj dealt with his father's death during BGT 2020/21
Bharat Arun has looked back at how Mohammed Siraj dealt with his father's death during BGT 2020/21.
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The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2020/21 was not only special for the Indian side but also for the debutant pacer, Mohammed Siraj. The Hyderabad-born was going through a rough patch as his father had passed away back in India. But he couldn’t return home due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Australia at the time.
India’s former bowling coach, Bharat Arun, recalled how it was incredibly tough to keep Siraj motivated with communication. He ended the series as the third leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps in three games at an average of under 30 and a strike rate of 62 with one five-wicket haul at the best bowling figure of 5/73 in an inning.
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“It was the five-star jail. The manager was the only one to go. He got special permission, but none of us could visit him. It was really tough. We spoke a lot on the phone. We spoke on WhatsApp calls. But that was it. There’s nothing like human touch. Shoulder to cry on, at that point, would have meant a lot to Siraj, but there was no shoulder to cry on.” Arun expressed on Bombay Sport Exchange.
Bharat Arun looks back at how Mohammed Siraj dealt with his father’s death during BGT 2020/21
Recently, Siraj hit the headlines with fabulous performances during the five-match Test series in England. The right-arm pacer ended as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 wickets in nine innings at an average of 32.43 and a strike rate of 48.39 with two five-wicket and one four-wicket hauls.
“It was a tough situation, Dad’s demise. I got strength after talking to mom, and my focus was to realize dad’s dream. I got mentally strong with their support. I felt that whatever Dad’s desire was, I had to fulfil that. It got fulfilled.” Siraj had remembered his father saying.
The veteran pacer isn’t part of the 15-member squad of the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is due to begin on September 09. However, he could be back in the national side for the home two-match Test series against the West Indies.
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