From Madrid tourist to Wankhede hero: Siraj’s incredible 48 hours in T20 World Cup

Mohammed Siraj was set for a breezy outing at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, planning to watch Real Madrid’s home Liga game against Real Sociedad, but destiny seemed to have other plans. Enjoying his cooling-off period since leading Hyderabad in successive games in the Ranji Trophy’s league stage, Siraj had booked his Spain tickets for a short vacation, only to receive a call from Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for a shock recall to the side for the showpiece event. And upon his comeback to the shortest format, he helped India draw first blood against the USA in the T20 World Cup game in Wankhede.

Siraj’s last 48 hours in the lead-up to Team India’s tournament opener in Mumbai were memorable yet shocking for him. After SKY called him up, asking him to pack his bags, Siraj warned him against joking with him. Knowing that his T20I captain wasn’t kidding, Siraj packed his bags and reached Mumbai in the wee hours on Saturday (3 AM), did some homework about his opposition and slept off. The frontline seamer woke up to the news of getting slotted in the playing XI, and the rest is history.

“Miyan bag pack karke aaja (pack your bags and come),” Siraj recalled receiving a message from Suryakumar Yadav ahead of India’s first league game against the USA.

Having not played a T20I game since July 2024, Siraj peaked at the right time for India, who were missing their ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah due to illness. Alongside Arshdeep Singh, Siraj did early damage to the USA’s top-order, picking up two wickets inside the Powerplay, and one at the death to help India win by 29 runs.

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"Almighty changed my destiny in 24 hours," Siraj said in the post-match presser. "I was spending time with my family when Adrian (Le Roux, India's strength and conditioning coach) messaged me to ask what I was up to. I told him, ‘Don't message me right now, I'm resting after playing two four-day games. I need rest.'”

Meanwhile, Siraj joined Team India as Harshit Rana's last-minute injury replacement; with no Bumrah around, he and Arshdeep were the two frontline quicks SKY wished to go ahead with, a move that paid dividends as India defended a below-par total at the Wankhede.

"Since I was coming here after Ranji Trophy, I stuck to a similar line and length here," Siraj said of his plans against the USA.

"I saw that when we were batting, the new ball wasn't coming on easily on the bat. So, my plan was also to bowl wicket-to-wicket, which worked and helped the team. I'm very happy that the execution worked out and I got those wickets,” he continued.