ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Why Mohammed Siraj said it was a sudden and shocking news for me after victory against USA
Mohammed Siraj, who wasn't even part of the team until the day before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, played a crucial role in India's victory against the USA on Saturday in the tournament.
India defeated the USA by 29 runs in their first match of the T20 World Cup 2026.
The hero of India's victory was captain Suryakumar Yadav, who played a blistering innings of 84 runs. Mohammed Siraj took three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel took two wickets each, playing a vital role in India's win.
Mohammed Siraj was included in the team after Harshit Rana was ruled out due to injury, a development announced by the BCCI on Friday.
In the post-match press conference, Mohammed Siraj revealed that he never thought he would be playing in this T20 World Cup.
He said, "I was spending time with my family. Suddenly, Surya bhai called and said, 'Get ready, pack your bags and come.' I said, 'Surya bhai, don't joke, because this isn't going to happen.' He said, 'I'm serious, get ready.'"
"Then I got a call from Ojha bhai (Pragyan Ojha), so it was a sudden and shocking news for me. What God has written, no one can change. I came and then I played the match as well."
Mohammed Siraj was asked about his plans for February before being included in the team. Siraj said that he was planning to go and watch the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad match on February 15th.