, Feb. 8 -- His bags were practically packed for Germany. His itinerary included a dream stop in Spain to watch Real Madrid play on February 15. He had even told the national team trainer not to disturb him.

Yet, in a twist of fate that scripts are made of, Mohammed Siraj found himself not in a European stadium stand, but steaming in at the Wankhede, spearheading India's World Cup attack just 24 hours later.

The Indian pacer, who had originally planned to spend his time off with friends in Hyderabad and Europe, became the accidental hero in India's victory over the USA yesterday.

The dramatic turnaround began when pacer Harshit Rana was ruled out of the tournament due to injury just a day before the World Cup commenced. Siraj, who hadn...