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"Five-Star Jail…,": Ex-IND Coach Recalls Siraj's Painful Stay In Australia After Father's Death

Aashay Chopade

Mohammed Siraj with his father (Source:@ImSarvada/X.com)Mohammed Siraj with his father (Source:@ImSarvada/X.com)

Mohammed Siraj became the toast of the nation after his memorable performance for India in the recently held Test series against England. The bowler is known for giving his all and plays the game with full passion, something which he displayed even on his first Test tour.

It was the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Siraj was handed his maiden Test call-up. The pacer impressed one and all in that series with 13 wickets in three Test matches and never looked back since then. However, it was a difficult tour on a personal front for the Hyderabad star.

Bharat Arun Reveals Siraj's Tough Time In Australia During BGT 2020-21

He lost his father at the start of the tour and could not return to India due to COVID-19 restrictions at that time. Even within Australia, the rules were quite strict, and now Bharat Arun, India's former bowling coach, has revealed that they could not even visit him after his father's death due to restrictions.

Arun, while talking on a podcast called Bombay Sports Exchange with K Shriniwas Rao, stated that it was like a five-star jail and only manager could visit Mohammed Siraj after special permission. He added that they would then spoke on Whatsapp calls with the Indian pacer.

"It was the five-star jail. The manager was the only one to go. He got special permission, but none of us could visit him. It was really tough. We spoke a lot on the phone. We spoke on WhatsApp calls,”  Bharat Arun said, speaking on the Bombay Sport Exchange.

Siraj Missed Human Touch After Father's Death

However, Bharat Arun regretted that episode by saying that young Siraj had no shoulder to cry on after the tragic incident, which would have meant a lot to him at that point in time. Thus Bharat Arun has recalled how tough it was for Siraj to stay in Australia with all those restrictions after the death of his beloved father in India.

“But that was it. There’s nothing like human touch. Shoulder to cry on, at that point, would have meant a lot to Siraj, but there was no shoulder to cry on."

Siraj, however, with his performances since then, has made sure that he makes his father and family proud. He is one of the India's premier Test bowlers and is a superstar in India now.