The 2020/21 Test series between India and Australia was special for so many reasons. India stood tall for the second time on the trot Down Under, defending the BGT title and creating history.
Although unprecedented conditions, considering the Covid-19 pandemic that gripped the world during that time, were already taking a toll on everyone, there was one Indian player who received the heartbreaking news of the passing of his father. Ace seamer Mohammed Siraj lost his father, and due to COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, he was not even allowed to travel to India to perform his last rites, leaving him stranded in his hotel room, which the former India bowling coach Bharat Arun called the ‘five-star jail.’
India beat Australia 2-1 across four Tests, and Siraj, who played three games, was the highest wicket-taker for India with 13 scalps to his name, with one five-for during the famous Gabba Test, which India won to clinch the series.
Meanwhile, Bharat, in his latest interaction, revealed how challenging it became for everyone, including the management, to communicate with Siraj and keep him motivated and hooked to on-field cricket.
“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,” Arun said, speaking on the Bombay Sport Exchange. “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,” he continued.
Siraj, who delivered a match-winning performance in Brisbane, helping India breach Australia’s fortress, remembered his late father after the game, saying, “It was a tough situation, dad’s demise. I got strength after talking to mom, and my focus was to realise dad’s dream. I got mentally strong with their support. I felt that whatever was Dad’s desire, I have to fulfil that. It got fulfilled.”
Meanwhile, Siraj has been India’s premier pacer at least in Tests. During India’s latest UK tour, which they drew, Siraj returned with 23 wickets in five Tests – the most by anyone across both camps. He, however, was not picked for the upcoming eight-team 2025 Asia Cup tournament in the UAE starting September 9.