Mohammed Siraj ditches tempting Real Madrid trip for T20 World Cup 2026

Mohammed Siraj [Source: AFP]

India began their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a winning note as they defeated the USA by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While Suryakumar Yadav grabbed all the headlines with his brilliant batting performance, Mohammed Siraj also played a very important role in India’s victory. 

Making a return to the T20I team after nearly two years, Siraj stepped in as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana. Moreover, with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable due to illness, Siraj shouldered extra responsibility and delivered immediately, finishing with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs.

Mohammed Siraj reveals his plans

Interestingly, Siraj’s return to the national team came at a time when he had completely different plans. He was all set to travel to Spain to watch the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. 

However, things changed quickly when the selectors picked him for the T20 World Cup squad. Siraj later revealed how India captain Suryakumar Yadav personally called him to share the news. At first, Siraj simply could not believe it.

"Two days ago Surya bhai said: "Miyaan bags pack kaar aur aaja (Pack your bags and come (to Mumbai)). I told him "Bhai mazaak mat 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).

Indian selector Pragyan Ojha confirms news

Soon after that, selector Pragyan Ojha also called Siraj and confirmed the news. Siraj, who had already booked his Madrid tickets, was overjoyed. 

"Then (India selector Pragyan) Ojha bhai called me... Whatever the almighty has written, no one can change that," he said. "There is a Real Madrid game on 15th and I was going to watch it and after that Ramzan, but whatever the almighty has written..."

Suryakumar and Siraj stand tall against USA

Talking about the match, India struggled early and were 47 for 4 after the powerplay. Even later, 150 runs looked difficult. However, Suryakumar Yadav played a stunning knock of 84 runs from 49 balls and guided India to 161 for 9. 

Siraj revealed that the dressing room remained calm because the captain was batting and knew the Mumbai pitch very well.

"The dressing room was very calm because Surya was playing and he knows the Mumbai wicket. there was no panic in the dressing room, and we were confident that we would win this match," Siraj said.

India’s bowling plan was clear, take wickets early. Siraj and Arshdeep Singh did exactly that, picking up three wickets in the first four overs.

"We felt 161 is a good score, and we aimed for wickets in the powerplay. Arshdeep also played very well," he added.

Although a few USA batters showed fight, they never truly recovered. Later, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel tightened the game further, ensuring a comfortable win for India.