Hyderabad: Father of Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has passed away due to a lung ailment, in Hyderabad on Friday. He was 53. Siraj is presently in Australia along with the Indian team as his father, Mohammed Ghouse, breathed his last at a hospital in Hyderabad.
The news has reportedly reached Mohammed Siraj, 26, who is training with the national team in Sydney. He heard the news after returning from the practice session, reported Sportstar.com, a sports website of The Hindu.
“My dad’s wish was always this – mera beta, desh ka Naam Roshan Karna (my son, you should make my country proud). And, I will do that for sure,” the fast bowler told Sportstar.
“It is shocking. I lost the biggest support of my life. It was his dream to see me play for the country and I am glad that way I could realise that and bring joy for him,” he told the website.
With quarantine rules in place, Siraj will not be able to travel to India for the last rites.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer in the recently concluded IPL stunned the cricket fraternity with his ‘magical performance’ as he ripped through Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on October 21, at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
After the performance, Siraj had revealed that his father was not well. In a video, he had said, “My dad is unwell these days. His lungs are in bad shape so he has difficulty breathing. I am really worried about that. I can’t even go home to meet and motivate him. I talk on the phone but whenever I do, he starts crying. I can’t even talk for longer hours because I don’t like seeing him crying. So I disconnect the phone early because I can’t hold myself for long. So, I pray to God for his good health. He was admitted to the hospital before the last game. I was really concerned that dad was in the hospital.”