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See pic: Mohammed Siraj makes debut, breaks down during national anthem

Eight months back, when Siraj was picked up by SRH for whopping Rs 2.6 crore, the medium pacer asked his father - an auto rickshaw driver - to stop working.

See pic: Mohammed Siraj makes debut, breaks down during national anthem Courtesy: Screengrab

New Delhi: Last month, the Team India selection committee picked the squad for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand.

To everyone's surprise, the uncapped pair of batsman Shreyas Iyer and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj were, also named.

On Saturday, Ravi Shastri handed over India cap to Siraj, as the Hyderabad quick made his debut and replaced Ashish Nehra, who is now retired from international cricket. 

As he took the field for the first time in India colours, Siraj could not control his emotions and was in tears when the  Indian national anthem was being sung. 

Hyderabad pace bowler Siraj, on the back of a fine Ranji Trophy and Inter-State T20 Tournament last season, was bought by IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad and took ten wickets, impressing with his pace. 

He subsequently was picked for India A's tour of South Africa where he claimed 10 wickets. Most recently, he featured for India A against New Zealand A. In 16 career T20s, the 23-year-old has 26 wickets at 18.73 and an economy rate of 7.85.

Eight months back, when Siraj was picked up by SRH for whopping Rs 2.6 crore, the medium pacer asked his father - an auto rickshaw driver - to stop working.

He began his career as a batsman who could bowl a bit.

Siraj grew up playing tennis ball cricket and was primarily self-taught. 

His father put in a lot of hard work to sustain the expenses of his son and ensured he went on to play domestic cricket