Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj's father passed away on Friday with the pacer on international duty with the Indian team in Australia. Siraj's father Mohammed Ghouse, died due to a lung ailment. Mohammed Siraj only came to know the news of his father’s death when he had finished the practice session at Sydney’s Blacktown Oval.
Mohammed Siraj will not be able to make it to India for the last rites as he is in Australia and the coronavirus restrictions are in place. The Indian squad, currently in the middle of a 14-day quarantine period, has been training in isolation on the outskirts of the city of Sydney after arriving to the country on November 13.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly offered condolences on Twitter.
"May Mohammed Siraj have a lot of strength to overcome this loss..lots of good wishes for his success in this trip.. tremendous character @bcci," he tweeted on Saturday.
His Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) too offered condolences.
"Our heartfelt prayers and condolences go out to Mohammed Siraj and his family, on the loss of his father. The entire RCB family is with you during this difficult time. Stay strong, Miyan," tweeted the official handle of RCB.
Siraj is part of India's Test squad and is in the Sydney quarantine hub. He will not be able to return to India for his father's burial due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
Although the 26-year-old has played in ODIs (1) and T20Is (3), this has been his maiden entry into the Test squad.
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Siraj had been among the wickets in first-class cricket at home, leading his team Hyderabad's pace attack in Ranji Trophy and also featuring with wickets for India A.
He took an eight-wicket haul against Australia A in Bengaluru in 2018 to come into national contention. The haul, a record for India A, followed a few fifers and four-wicket hauls against South Africa A and West Indies A that year. He also performed against England Lions.
His bowling spell against Kolkata Knight Riders last month, when he bowled two maiden overs, and picked three wickets in the powerplay got him further accolades.
SOURCES: IANS