Right after the announcement of India squad for Champions Trophy 2025, the omission of Mohammed Siraj raised the eyebrows of many. the right arm fast bowler has been a regular in India playing 11 in recent times.
However, his exclusion from the India squad for England ODIs and Champions Trophy 2025 received mixed comments from cricket experts and analysts. The Indian selection committee has overlooked Siraj and picked Arshdeep Singh for the CT 2025.
Notably, India has picked only three seamers for the grand event – Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. With Bumrah’s uncertainty for the Champions Trophy 2025, Harshit Rana could replace the Indian spearhead as the Delhi pacer replaced Bumrah in the ODI squad against England.
With many rumours revolving around Siraj’s exclusion from the Indian squad, captain Rohit Sharma reveals the reason behind his exclusion.
“It’s unfortunate he (Siraj) has to miss out. Siraj’s effectiveness comes down when not bowling with the new ball. We have no option but we wanted guys for specific roles. We wanted guys who can bowl with the new ball, and be effective in the middle overs and at the back end. With these three boys (Shami, Harshit and Arshdeep) we can do that,” Rohit Sharma told the media during the squad announcement.
Siraj has played 44 ODIs for India and bagged 71 wickets at an economy of 5.18. In 2024, Siraj featured in three ODIs and bagged just 3 wickets while in 2023 he played 25 matches and bagged 44 wickets at an average of 20.68.
What are Siraj’s Numbers in ICC ODI Events?
Siraj has featured in the ODI World Cup 2023 and Asia Cup 2023. In the 2023 World Cup, Siraj played 11 matches and bagged 14 wickets with a BBI of 3/16 which he achieved in the final against Sri Lanka. While in Asia Cup 2023, Siraj bagged 10 wickets in five matches at an average of 12.20.
