India’s newest bowling sensation, Mohammed Siraj, has revealed why he was unable to control his emotions while singing the national anthem at the Sydney Cricket Ground ahead of the start of the third Test match against Australia.
Explaining the reason why he could not control his emotions, Siraj said, “National Anthem ke time pe Dad ki yaad aa gayi thi, to isi liye. (I suddenly remembered my Dad while singing the national anthem. That’s why (I cried).”
Siraj lost his father, Mohammed Ghouse, while the former was with Team India in Australia. He was unable to visit India to see his father for the last time.
The 26-year-old bowling sensation from Hyderabad added, “Bahut hi emotional. Dad dekhna chahte the ke Test cricket khele mera beta. To aaj wo rahte to kaash dekh paate the. (This was very emotional for me. Dad always wanted to see me play Test cricket. Had he been alive, he would have seen me play Test cricket).”
The video of Siraj wiping his tears while singing India’s national anthem ahead of the third Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground has gone viral. In the video, Jasprit Bumrah was seen consoling his young team-mate.
Mohammed Siraj on why he got so emotional while the National Anthem was being played at the SCG.#TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zo0Wc8h14A
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2021
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer had tweeted, “Even if there’s little or no crowd to cheer you on, no better motivation than playing for India. As a legend once said “You don’t play for the crowd, you play for the country.” #AUSvIND.”
Even if there’s little or no crowd to cheer you on, no better motivation than playing for India. As a legend once said “You don’t play for the crowd, you play for the country.” ?? #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/qAwIyiUrSI
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 7, 2021
Australia were 166-2 at the end of the rain-affected first day’s play in the third Test with both Siraj and debutant Navdeep Saini claiming one wicket each.