Mohammed Siraj was visibly emotional when he had Josh Hazlewood out caught at third man to wrap up Australia's second innings. It was the fifth of the innings for the 26-year-old, who playing only his third Test match, picked his maiden five-wicket-haul in Tests.
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He dismissed Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood to get to the landmark, becoming the fifth overall Indian bowler to grab a five-for at Brisbane, and the first since Zaheer Khan in 2003.
{{/usCountry}}He dismissed Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood to get to the landmark, becoming the fifth overall Indian bowler to grab a five-for at Brisbane, and the first since Zaheer Khan in 2003.
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After Hazlewood was safely taken by Shardul Thakur, the cameras pointed to Siraj, who looked up towards the heavens with his eyes closed. As his India teammates rushed to congratulate Siraj on his achievement, the fast bowler appeared slightly numb… and expectedly so.
It had been a tough few weeks for Siraj prior to the start of the Test series between India and Australia. Shortly after the Indian team's arrival in Australia, Siraj lost his ailing father back in India and due to Covid-19 protocols, it wasn't possible for the 26-year-old to fly back to India. Siraj opted to stay on, which meant he had to miss his father's funeral.
It wasn't too long ago that he made his Test debut in Melbourne where he picked up five wickets in the match. From there to become the leader of India's bowling attack with all the big players injured, Siraj capped off a fine debut series with a maiden Test five-for. As Siraj led the Indian team off the field at the end of the Australian innings, a proud Jasprit Bumrah welcomed the fellow fast bowler with a hug.
The sight of a teary-eyed Siraj singing the national anthem presented an idea how much representing India meant to him. And on Monday, as he became only the sixth visiting fast bowler to claim a five-for at the Gabba, Siraj’s fairy tale continued.