Mumbai, February 7 Mohammed Siraj was all set to fly halfway across the globe to watch his favorite football team, Real Madrid, play against Real Sociedad, when skipper Suryakumar Yadav's phone rang.
Suryakumar stepped in as Harshit Rana was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to injury.
With Jasprit Bumrah unwell, Siraj was drafted into the playing eleven, and he did what he always does: gave his all with every ball.
For this honest effort, he was rewarded with a three-wicket haul, which helped India survive a scare from the spirited USA team.
"Two days ago, Surya bhai said, 'Pack your bags and come to Mumbai.' I told him, 'Brother, don't joke, this isn't going to happen.' But he said, 'I'm telling you the truth, get ready.' Then (India selector Pragyan) Ojha bhai called me... Whatever God has written, no one can change that," an elated Siraj narrated his comeback story after being the star bowler in India's 29-run victory in the T20 World Cup opener on Saturday.
When asked about how he had planned for the break in February after playing a couple of Ranji Trophy matches for Hyderabad, Siraj said, "There's a Real Madrid game on the 15th, and I was planning to watch it, and then Ramadan... But whatever God has written..."
In fact, when the 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've played two four-day games and I need rest. I'll see after this what the plan is."
Siraj didn't expect the call-up, as he was not in India's plans for the tournament. The pacer was part of the victorious 2024 campaign in Barbados.
"It felt like a dream when I was on the flight, because I hadn't thought about playing in the World Cup," Siraj said.
"The planning had been going on for the last year, and those who were going to play were getting the chances. Since I hadn't played T20Is, I understood that I wouldn't be a part of it."
It was perhaps God's plan, something his teammate Rinku Singh often alludes to.