Team India's fast bowler Mohammad Siraj, who is currently with the Indian cricket team in Australia, has refused to return to the country after his ailing father's death. BCCI secretary Jai Shah has said that the BCCI had given Siraj an option to return to the country but he denied it. Siraj has decided to stay back in Australia to pursue national duty while remaining with the team. The young speedster, who is part of team India's Test squad, will not be attending the last rites of his father due to quarantine rules in Australia amid Coronavirus pandemic.


On Friday, Siraj's 53-year-old father Mohammad Gaus died in Hyderabad. He was battling lung disease and was undergoing treatment for it. Siraj's father, who worked as an auto driver, played a key role in Siraj's success as despite limited resources, he supported his son's ambitions.


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"India fast bowler lost his father on Friday after a brief illness. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had a discussion with Siraj and he was offered the option of flying back and be with his family in this hour of grief," the Board said in a statement.


"The fast bowler has decided to stay with the Indian contingent and continue performing his national duties. The BCCI shares his grief and will be supportive of Siraj in this extremely challenging phase," the statement added.





Mohammed Siraj father passes away: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly offered condolences on Twitter


"May Mohammed Siraj have a lot of strength to overcome this loss..lots of good wishes for his success in this trip.. tremendous character @bcci," he tweeted on Saturday.


His Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) too offered condolences.


"Our heartfelt prayers and condolences go out to Mohammed Siraj and his family, on the loss of his father. The entire RCB family is with you during this difficult time. Stay strong, Miyan," tweeted the official handle of RCB.


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How Mohammed Siraj's IPL 2020 Performance Helped Him Cement A Spot In Team India!


Mohammad Siraj came into the limelight when he took 41 wickets in the 2016-17 Ranji season. After this, Sunrisers Hyderabad brought him for Rs 2.6 crore in the IPL Auction. After being sold at such a big price, Siraj bought a big house for his father and family.


After this, the speedster made his T20I debut for India in the year 2017 and in 2019 he also made an ODI debut against Australia. However, he could not perform as well he was expected to. Siraj's form in IPL 2020 was good which is why he is a part of Team India for Australia tour.


India’s Test squad for Australia tour: Virat Kohli (Capt), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar, Ajinkya(vc), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj