India's victory in Gaba is not just a win, it is also the story of the spirits of the characters who have never given up on the situation. T. Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, and Shardul Thakur are Gaba's heroes. Not only on the field, even in real life, but these people have also defeated every challenge of life thrown at them with their talent.
Mohammed Siraj did not return to India after his father's demise before his debut:
Siraj lost his father before the test tour of Australia started, but his father's dream was that his son plays for the country. The BCCI had approved Siraj to return, but he stayed in Australia to fulfill his father's dream. Siraj's father was a rickshaw driver. He was the leading bowler in the Brisbane Test (GABA).
In one of his interviews, Siraj had said, "Dad used to give me 70 rupees of pocket money. Of this, 60 rupees went in petrol. After that, he increased my pocket money by 10 rupees. I was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy in 2017. After that Bharat Arun sir came into my life. It changed my life. I was selected in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team and my dream of playing in the International League came true. Sunrisers bought me for 2.6 crores."
Washington Sundar: Did not let his disability came in the way of his dream
Washington Sundar, who took 4 wickets and scored 84 runs in the debut test, did not have an easy journey. At the age of 4, Sundar's father came to know that his son could hear with just one ear. After knocking doors of many hospitals, it was found that this disability could not be overcome. However, the flaw never came in the way. In a game like cricket, he had to face trouble, but eventually, he became a successful cricketer. He has also made his place in the Test team after playing for India in T20 and ODI.
T. Natarajan: Became father in IPL, but still could not meet his daughter
Loom Worker's son T Natarajan never had the money to buy cricket kits and shoes. For many years Natarajan had to think a hundred times before buying new shoes. During the IPL, Natarajan became the father of a daughter, but could not go to see her. At that time he was playing IPL in UAE. He then left for Australia directly. So far he has not been able to meet his daughter.
Navdeep Saini: He had come to see the practice, then fate took him to Cricket
Navdeep Saini is from a poor family. His father was a government driver. Navdeep did not even have sports shoes. For the money, he started playing in small tournaments. Navdeep used to earn Rs 300 from the exhibition match. He soon started making an identity with his game. Once he had arrived to watch the practice of the Delhi team. From here, his luck was reversed. Sumit Narwal became a fan of Navdeep's bowling during the Karnal Premier League. During the practice in Delhi, Sumit helped Navdeep to meet Gautam Gambhir. After watching Navdeep's bowling, Gambhir included him in the Delhi team. After this Navdeep never looked back.
Shardul Thakur: Defeated obesity, did not look back after IPL
Shardul Thakur struggled with obesity before being selected in the Mumbai senior team. Sachin Tendulkar advised him to lose weight before being selected in the Mumbai senior team. Sachin also told Shardul that his future is bright. Shardul was selected in the IPL team after winning from the obesity problem. Shardul has also become a part of India's ODI and T20 teams. He had played only one Test match before the tour of Australia. In the first innings of the Brisbane Test, he scored his first test fifty and scored a very important 67 runs. He also took 7 wickets in this Test.