Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets against USA. (Photo Credits: BCCI/X)
India called-up Mohammed Siraj after pacer Harshit Rana got injured during the warm-up fixture against South Africa ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup 2026. Siraj was not name in the squad initially and was planning to visit Madrid to watch his favourite Real Madrid’s game in La Liga.
But his plans were changed last-minute when he got a call from the skipper Suryakumar Yadav. “When I was on the flight to here, I felt it was a dream,” Siraj was quoted as saying by PTI.
“I thought I wouldn’t be part of the World Cup. I was spending time with family. Suddenly, Surya called and said, ‘Miyan, ready ho ja, bag pack kar le.’ I told him, ‘Mazaak mat karo’ (don’t joke with me). But God is great.”
“Then (India selector Pragyan) Ojha bhai called me… Whatever the almighty has written, no one can change that,” he added.
“First, I didn’t know I would be playing. When the message came in the morning yesterday that I would be playing, I was happy.”
“My plan was to see the Real Madrid game on the 15th. There was Ramzan also. But God’s will—whatever will happen, will happen.”
While Siraj’s call-up was a last-minute thing, he was fully prepared to play the big game. “I watched video plans after coming at 3 pm. Without proper preparation, you cannot play in a big game. This is a World Cup. Since I’ve been regularly playing, I knew what to do. That was the thought last night also—bowl this line and length.”
“When Ishan was playing, he said it’s a two-paced pitch, and we felt 170 was a good score. That proved to be right,” he added.
India registered a 29-run win against USA after restricting them to 132/8 in 20 overs while defending 162. The home side was in a spot of bother after being reduced to 77/6 but captain Suryakumar Yadav played an incredible knock of 84* off 49 to help the side put 161/9 on the board.
Later, bowlers did the job and didn’t let the opposition take an upper hand. While Siraj scalped three wickets for 29 in 4 overs, Arshdeep Singh bagged a couple of 18 runs in his 4 overs. Axar Patel also returned with figures of 2/24 in 4 overs.
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