What was Siraj doing when Suryakumar Yadav called for T20 World Cup 2026: 'I was going to watch...'

Mohammed Siraj’s plans for the month of February took a dramatic turn after a surprise phone call from India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, just a day before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

On Friday, February 6, Siraj received a call from SKY, asking him to immediately join the national team for their title defence. At that moment, Siraj was nowhere close to thinking about a World Cup match. Less than 24 hours later, he was on the field at the Wankhede Stadium, picking up three wickets to help India defeat the USA in their tournament opener.

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What was Siraj doing when he received the call?

Siraj was at home, spending time with his family and enjoying a rare break from cricket. With Hyderabad failing to qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, the Indian pacer had already decided to take some much-needed rest after playing back-to-back four-day matches. His focus was slowly shifting towards the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season in March.

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Siraj had even planned a short personal trip to Spain to watch his favourite football club Real Madrid play against Real Sociedad in La Liga. At that point, international cricket was the last thing on his mind.

“I was resting and spending time with my family,” Siraj revealed after India’s opening match at the Wankhede Stadium. “On Thursday, I got a message from Adrian (Le Roux) asking about my plans. I told him not to message me right now because I needed rest after playing two four-day games.”

Siraj received a phone call from Suryakumar Yadav the next day. At first, he thought it was a joke. “Surya bhai told me to pack my bags and get ready,” Siraj said. “I told him not to joke because this is not going to happen. Then he said he was serious.”

Soon after that call, national selector Pragyan Ojha also contacted Siraj, confirming that he had been picked in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup. Harshit Rana had picked up a knee injury during a warm-up game earlier in the week and was ruled out of the tournament, forcing India to call up Siraj as a replacement.

The surprises did not stop there. After joining the squad, Siraj was informed that he would be part of the playing XI for India’s opening match against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium, with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable due to illness.

“It was hard. First of all, in the last 24 hours, when I was sitting on the flight, it felt like a dream. Because I never thought I would play in the World Cup. For the past year, the planning was that all the World Cup players would get chances in T20s. But when I didn’t play in T20s, I understood that I wouldn’t be part of it this year. But God changed my destiny,” Siraj said.

“My plan was that on the 15th, there is a Real Madrid match, and I was going to watch it. After that, Ramzan was coming, so I had planned around that. But whatever God has scripted will happen.”