'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
An emotional Mohammed Siraj looked up to the heavens, as if to tell his late father, 'Abba, this is for you', after Shardul Thakur completed a regulation catch of Australian No.11 Josh Hazlewood on Day 4 of the Gabba Test.
Only three Tests old, Mohammed Siraj had just become the first Indian bowler to grab a five-wicket haul at the Gabba, with the enormity of the occasion yet to fully sink in.
With eyes moist and a heart filled with gratitude for the sacrifices his parents made for him to realise his cricket dream, the 26-year-old acknowledged the Gabba crowd by showing the red ball before leading his team off the field.
Mohammed Siraj was welcomed with a huge round of applause by the team and a warm hug by the injured Jasprit Bumrah, who was Siraj's on-field mentor during the tour.
It is only due to the impressive character and resilience shown by Mohammed Siraj and the other bowlers that an injury-depleted Team India have an outside chance to create history: of chasing down a daunting target of 328 to end Australia's three-decade invincibility at the Gabba.
Although on an enthralling final day, all three results are possible, Mohammed Siraj (13) will head back as the visitors' highest wicket-taker in the exhilarating series.
The humble beginnings of Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj's mental toughness and ability to thrive in tough situations probably stems from his humble beginnings: the 26-year-old's father - Mohammed Ghous - was an auto-rickshaw driver who struggled to make both ends meet to help his son live his cricket dream.
A young Mohammed Siraj was fascinated by the game of cricket when he was in his seventh standard: he was part of the team that won the inter-school tournament. However, as he did not have enough money as well as exposure, Mohammed Siraj continued playing tennis-ball cricket.
Mohammed Siraj used to receive INR 70 as daily pocket money from his father, out of which INR 60 would go into buying a litre of petrol for his Bajaj Platina, which he used to take to the ground for practice. He often had to borrow money from his friends to somehow keep up with his daily expenses.
Mohammed Siraj had not played with a proper cricket ball till 21. However, it was not long before he was spotted by former Hyderabad coach Karthik Udupa. Soon, Mohammed Siraj found himself playing for the Hyderabad U-23 team.
Mohammed Siraj's Ranji Trophy exploits
Mohammed Siraj made his first-class debut on November 15th, 2015, against Services. However, he picked up a solitary wicket and was a bit expensive as well. That would be his only Ranji Trophy game that season.
Soon, it was the turn of another Hyderabad coach - former Indian cricketer Bharat Arun - who gave Mohammed Siraj an extended run. Siraj did not disappoint; he bagged 41 wickets at an outstanding average of 18.92 in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season, and there would be no looking back from there.
Mohammed Siraj was the third-highest wicket-taker in the competition that season, helped Hyderabad reach their first quarter-final in five years. Although they lost to eventual runners-up Mumbai by 30 runs, Mohammed Siraj starred for the team with a brilliant nine-wicket haul.
The bowler was deservedly rewarded with a call-up to the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy that season.
It was at this time, Mohammed Siraj bagged a whopping INR 2.6 crore IPL contract with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2017 auction.
In an interview with The Hindu, the first thing Mohammed Siraj spoke about receiving the IPL contract was his desire to buy his parents a spacious house. He also vowed that his father would never have to drive an auto-rickshaw again.
Success in the IPL and domestic cricket
Mohammed Siraj had a decent debut IPL season playing for SRH, bagging ten wickets from six games, which included best figures of 4-32, that helped his team qualify for the playoffs.
The youngster backed that up with an impressive 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
T20I debut and profligacy in the shortest format of the game
Mohammed Siraj's impressive performance earned the then 23-year-old his maiden international call-up for the T20I series against New Zealand.
However, it wasn't a debut to remember on November 4th, 2017, as Mohammed Siraj was smashed to all parts of the ground, conceding 53 runs for a solitary wicket from his four overs.
Mohammed Siraj's profligacy in the shortest format of the game spilled over to the IPL as well. Although he was a wicket-taker, Siraj had an expensive economy rate of 9.21 in IPL 2017, which prompted SRH to release the pacer ahead of the next auction.
However, Mohammed Siraj's 'guardian angel' Bharat Arun, who was working with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), had no doubt in the youngster's potential. The pacer was snapped up by RCB in the 2018 IPL auction and given another opportunity to prove his worth.
2018 - a mixed year for Mohammed Siraj
Although he picked up 11 wickets in as many matches in IPL 2018, Mohammed Siraj was on the expensive side, with an economy of 8.95. However, his underwhelming IPL campaign didn't affect his fortunes in the longest format.
The pacer flourished with India A under the mentorship of Rahul Dravid later that year. He bagged a 10-wicket-haul against South Africa A and also ran through Australia A in Bengaluru, producing figures of 8-59 in an innings.
His impressive performances earned him a call-up to the Indian Test team for the home series against the West Indies. However, a debut was not to be, as the hosts had a pretty well-settled pace unit comprising of the likes of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami.
Mohammed Siraj's struggles in white-ball cricket
Mohammed Siraj had a disastrous ODI debut against Australia, where he gave away 76 runs in his ten overs without picking up a wicket.
He went into IPL 2019 with the hope of getting more game-time. However, his numbers only took a turn for the worse, as the pacer leaked runs at an appalling economy rate of 9.55, picking up only seven wickets from nine games.
Despite his forgettable returns that year, Mohammed Siraj was made of sterner stuff. And he would soon turn around his fortunes in white-ball cricket the next year.
Mohammed Siraj creates history in IPL 2020
In an IPL 2020 game against Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohammed Siraj created history. He became the only bowler in tournament history to bowl two maiden overs in the same game, producing figures of 3-8 from his four overs.
Mohammed Siraj's good form in the shortest format of the game would do him wonders in red-ball cricket too.
In 36 first-class matches, Mohammed Siraj bagged 147 wickets at an impressive average of 23.0 and a decent economy of 3.11. These performances earned the then-26-year-old another Test call-up, this time for the tour of Australia.
While his selection did raise a few eyebrows, Mohammed Siraj was likely to be fifth in the pecking order. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini were all ahead of him.
However, as destiny would have it, it was time for Mohammed Siraj to prove his worth in the longest format of the game in the most daunting of places.
Mohammed Siraj endures a huge personal tragedy
Just when everything seemed to be falling into place for the Hyderabad pacer, a huge tragedy would befall him. While the pacer was in a hard quarantine in Sydney ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Mohammed Siraj received news of his father's demise.
The BCCI had given Siraj the option of flying back to India for his father's funeral. However, the 26-year-old made a bold decision and decided to stay back with his team and fulfill his father's dream of 'seeing' him play Test cricket.
With three first-team regulars - Shami, Bumrah and Umesh Yadav - getting injured at various points during the tour, Mohammed Siraj made his much-awaited Test debut at the MCG.
Mohammed Siraj's impressive Test series down under
Shami fractured his wrist while negotiating a short-ball from Pat Cummins in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval. A humiliating defeat notwithstanding, the visitors would be bereft of the services of one of their premier pacers for the rest of the series.
With Virat Kohli also heading back to India after the first Test on paternity leave, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane backed Mohammed Siraj to replace Shami in Team India's playing XI for the Boxing Day Test.
An unfazed Mohammed Siraj was up to the task and helped the visitors bounce back with an emphatic series-levelling win against all odds.
Siraj picked up five wickets in the game and provided crucial breakthroughs in the absence of Umesh Yadav, who pulled his calf muscle in the second innings.
The 26-year-old, high on confidence and ready to take on more responsibility, was hopeful of building on his impressive start in Test cricket.
Mohammed Siraj had proved he was a tough character. However, he broke down during the national anthem played before the third Test, remembering his late father. But that was not the only turmoil he would go through at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Racial abuses were hurled at the 26-year-old by a certain section of the SCG crowd. Nevertheless, Mohammed Siraj played his part - picking up a wicket in each innings - to help the visitors earn a highly creditable draw and keep the series alive.
However, the draw came at a cost for the beleaguered visitors. With six first-team regulars missing, Mohammed Siraj was catapulted to the leader of an inexperienced five-pronged Indian attack in the fourth Test in Brisbane.
Playing only his third Test, Mohammed Siraj was the most experienced bowler for the visitors who handed debuts to Washington Sundar and T Natarajan. The two other bowlers - Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini - were playing only their second game in the format.
Mohammed Siraj stood up to the task. Despite picking up only one wicket in the first innings, his five-wicket haul in the second prevented Australia from running away with the match when they looked like doing so.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old was quick to laud the efforts of his other bowling colleagues, as the collective exploits of the inexperienced attack provided the visitors the opportunity to go for a stunning series-winning victory on the fifth day.
It was only the third time since Australia last lost a Test at the Gabba (1988) that they lost twenty wickets at the venue, which certainly augurs well for the visitors' prospects of breaching the hosts' Gabba bastion.
The series has been a roller-coaster of sorts, testing Mohammed Siraj in multiple aspects, but he has managed to thwart the odds on each occasion. Regardless of whether the series ends with a fairytale win for the injury-ravaged visitors or not, Mohammed Siraj has proved his mettle in the longest format of the game.
When the dust would settle on an enthralling series, the 26-year-old, on his flight back home, will be satisfied with his exploits and coming-of-age - both as a person and a Test player.
