Don't joke about this: When Siraj mistook Surya's World Cup phone call for a prank

Senior India pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he initially thought captain Suryakumar Yadav was pulling his leg when he received a call about being drafted into India's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 as Harshit Rana's replacement. Siraj was named in the updated squad a day before the tournament began after Rana was ruled out due to injury, prompting the BCCI to turn to the experienced fast bowler to bolster the pace attack alongside Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.

India's plans were further disrupted on the eve of their tournament opener when Bumrah was sidelined due to illness. That development opened the door for Siraj, who had joined the squad late on Friday evening and was pressed straight into action. Playing his first T20I since July 2024, Siraj delivered a probing opening spell, bowling a fuller length more reminiscent of red-ball cricket. He struck twice early and finished with figures of 3 for 29 from four overs. With the USA reduced to 13 for 3 inside the fourth over, the chase never fully recovered.

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"Two days before the match, I got a call from Surya bhai. He said, 'Miya, get ready, pack your bags and come,'" Siraj told Star Sports after the match. "I told him, 'Surya bhai, don't joke right now. You joke a lot, but not about something like this.' He said, 'I'm serious. Pack your bags and come.' Later, I got a call from Oja bhai as well, telling me to be ready. That's when it really sank in."

Siraj's incisive first spell, combined with Suryakumar's customary counter-attacking approach with the bat, underpinned defending champions India's scratchy 29-run win over the United States on Saturday, February 7, despite a dramatic top-order collapse in their opening match of the tournament.

"Playing a World Cup is everyone's dream," Siraj added. "What is written by God happens, but you also need to keep working hard. If you work honestly, the results will come from somewhere or the other. You've seen closely how much effort goes into this."

From 13 for 3, the USA stitched together a few partnerships but never truly got back on track. Milind Kumar (34), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) and Shubham Ranjane (37) offered resistance with useful contributions, though they only reduced the margin of defeat.

None of the batters was able to take control, and once Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) and Axar Patel (2/24) asserted themselves after the Powerplay, the contest drifted further away from the USA. The spin duo conceded just 48 runs and claimed three wickets across eight overs.

Earlier, Suryakumar had stood tall in a 49-ball innings, single-handedly dragging India out of trouble after a dramatic collapse left them reeling at 77 for six in the 13th over. South Africa-born Shadley van Schalkwyk returned figures of 4-0-25-4 as India's vaunted batting line-up, barring their captain, endured a torrid outing and narrowly avoided being bowled out for an under-par total.

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