Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj got a surprise call-up in the Suryakumar Yadav-led side T20 World Cup 2026 squad just a day before the marquee event. The 31-year-old speedster, who played last T20I back in 2024, was included in India's playing XI for the tournament opener as well as the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah missed out due to illness.
How Siraj was included in India's squad
Mohammed Siraj was included in India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad as an injury replacement for Harshit Rana who sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai.
Mohammed Siraj on Fate, faith and T20 World Cup call-up
After getting a spot in the playing XI, Siraj ended up picking up three wickets as India defeated the USA by 29 runs to start their title defence with a win. After the team's win, Siraj revealed that he was in the mood to chill and was about to fly to Spain in a week to watch his favourite team, Real Madrid, play against Real Sociedad, when skipper Suryakumar Yadav called him to inform him about the selection.
"Two days Surya bhai said:"Miaan bags pack kaar aur aaja (Pack your bags and come (to Mumbai)). I told him "Bhai mazaak maat karo kyon ki yeh to honewala hain nahi (Brother please don't joke as this won't happen). But he said ‘mai sach keh raha hoon, ready ho ja’ (I am telling you the truth, get ready).
"Then (India selector Pragyan) Ojha bhai called me… Whatever the almighty has written, no one can change that," an elated Siraj narrated his comeback story after India's win.
Mohammed Siraj's February plans
Siraj, who was featuring for Ranji Trophy 2025-26 for Hyderabad, revealed that he planned a break in February after featuring in a couple of matches for his state.
"There is a Real Madrid game on the 15th, and I was going to watch it and after that Ramzan, but whatever the almighty has written..." Siraj added.
In fact when team's S&C coach Adrian Le Roux had messaged him asking "what's the plan", Siraj had replied: "‘don’t message me right now because I had played two four-day games and I need rest. I will see after this what the plan is.”
Siraj said he was not able to believe that he was called up, knowing that he was not in India's plans for the tournament.
“It was feeling like a dream when I was on the flight, because I had not thought about playing in the World Cup,” Siraj said.
“The planning was going on for the last one year, those who were bound to play in this were getting the chances and since I had not played T20Is, I had understood that I won’t be a part of it.”
Team India will now face Namibia in their second Group Stage clash on February 12 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi before facing Pakistan on February 15 in Colombo.