MUMBAI, Feb. 10 -- From relaxing at home with family a day before India's World Cup opener to leading the India bowling attack next evening, Mohammed Siraj must have had to pinch himself to believe it was all real. The Hyderabad pace bowler was not in the India team's original plans for the T20 World Cup, but late developments necessitated his captain Suryakumar Yadav to send an SOS to him to report immediately for international duty. It meant, Siraj had to put his February holiday plans with family on hold, instead immerse himself into the cauldron of the high-pressure home World Cup, starting with the match against United States of America on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium. "When I was on the flight to here (Mumbai), I felt it was a dream. I thought I wouldn't be part of the World Cup. I was spending time with my family. Suddenly, Surya called and said, 'Miyan, ready ho ja, bag pack kar le.(Get ready, pack your bags)' I told him, 'Mazaak mat karo' (don't joke with me). But God is great," an emotional Siraj said after India's 29-run win. His holiday plans included a trip to Madrid to watch a Real Madrid match in the La Liga on February 15. But when injury ruled Harshit Rana out of the tournament, the national selectors and the team management felt he was the best choice for a last-minute replacement. After joining the team at 3 am, Siraj was called straight into action to fill in for star bowler Jasprit Burmah who was unwell. "Almighty changed my destiny in 24 hours. I was spending time with my family when Adrian Le Roux (India's strength and conditioning coach) messaged me to ask what I was up to. I told him, 'don't message me right now, I'm resting after playing two four-day games. I need rest'," Siraj said, still beaming with joy at the turn of fortunes. Even though the speedster had not played a T20I since 2024 against Sri Lanka in July, 2024, his vast experience meant he could quickly adjust. That he wasn't in India's plan of things for the T20 World Cup was not because he isn't a good white-ball operator. Siraj had lost out because of the thrust of the team's think tank on bowlers who are handy batters as well and lend batting depth. For the gteam management, the important thing is he was match fit, playing Ranji Trophy for Hyderabad. To the delight of his teammates, he settled in beautifully and delivered a masterful bowling performance to finish with figures of 3/29. "You have to be mentally ready to play in a World Cup. Now, I'm also closing in on 10 years since I started playing for India, I have been with the team continuously, and for long enough to know how to prepare in this format, and what kind of mindset to have. So while going to bed at night I told myself to just stick to the things that have worked for me so far, and that's what I did today, said Siraj, who is a wiser and smarter white ball bowler now compared to a few seasons ago when he would charge in and look to go all out. He is turning into a cerebral bowler; a crafty operator who is not focussed on playing to the gallery but enjoying his craft, setting up the batters with the subtle changes in variations in line, length, keeping them guessing with clever changes of pace. The Indian team think-tank had seen his quality first-hand in the recently played three-match ODI series and when Rana got injured, it wasn't a surprise to see him being called up. Even when New Zealand hammered 337 in the third ODI at Indore, Siraj was the most economical bowler with figures of 10-0-43-1, as he was in all the three games of the series not going above an economy rate of 5. On Saturday at the Wankhede, India were under the pump after batting first as they huffed and puffed to a total of 161. The pressure was on Siraj straightaway to provide the early breakthroughs. Hit for a six on his second ball, he came back to grab two wickets in eight balls and help his side seize the advantage. He was aware of the challenge at hand. "I knew it wasn't easy to hit against the new ball, and that's what happened," said Siraj, who had opener Andries Gous caught at point driving uppishly and Saiteja Mukkamalla mistiming one straight to midwicket. "Since I was coming here after Ranji Trophy, I stuck to a similar line and length here. I saw that when we were batting, the new ball wasn't coming on easily on the bat. So my plan was also to bowl wicket-to-wicket which worked and helped the team. I'm very happy that the execution worked out and I got those wickets." To be prepared for the call of duty at all times requires a high level of mental toughness. For motivation, Siraj's phone wallpaper has the poster of his football hero Cristiano Ronaldo, with the text "BELIEVE". He had taken inspiration from it in his stellar bowling show in The Oval Test match against England in 2025 and as he displayed the Ronaldo poster to the scribes on Saturday, one can be sure it is still working....