Mohammed Siraj was in ominous form on October 21 when Royal Challengers Bangalore locked horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. His magical figures of 4-2-8-3 caused KKR’s collapse as RCB restricted them to a paltry 84/8 in 20 overs.
RCB chased down the target in 13.3 overs and registered a comfortable win. On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj altered the record books with his two consecutive maiden overs. That day, he became the first-ever bowler in the history of the tournament to bowl back-to-back maiden overs.
Days later to that historic outing, Siraj revealed that he was depressed throughout the evening as his father was hospitalised before the game. He opened up in a video which was shot and uploaded by Royal Challengers Bangalore on YouTube.
“He is unwell these days as his lungs are in quite a bad shape. He is facing difficulty in breathing. I’m really worried for I can’t even go home to meet and motivate him. I talk to him on the phone but when he starts crying, I can’t bear it for long and disconnect it. He was admitted to the hospital before the last game. I was really concerned and prayed to God for his good health.”
His father’s health has been a reason of worry for Siraj. But when he called up his family after setting an IPL record, he was happy to hear from his father about how proud he is to see his son’s photo in every newspaper in Hyderabad.
“However, when I called home after the match, I was surprised that my dad was at home. That made me really happy as even the match had gone my way. He told me that he was really pleased that everyone was calling him to praise my performance and every newspaper in Hyderabad has my photo. I said it’s all because of the blessings of the god.”
RCB were put to the field after losing the toss. Since the Abu Dhabi track offered a bit of swing, skipper Virat Kohli decided to hand the new ball to Mohammed Siraj. This proved to be a masterstroke for the Challengers as Siraj took the first three wickets without conceding a single run in two overs. Thus, he became the first bowler in the 13-year history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to bowl two maidens in a match.
Source: Hindustan Times
