"How Did He Vanish From ODI Cricket?" India's England Tour Hero's Repeated Omission Questioned
Akash Chopra has put forward the question at a time when India bowlers are faring poorly against South Africa in the ongoing three-match ODI series.
- Former India batter Aakash Chopra has questioned the omission of Mohammed Siraj from the ODI team
- "Can you understand what is happening with Mohammed Siraj? I cannot understand at all," he said
- "How did he vanish from ODI cricket? He is playing domestic cricket currently," Chopra added
Former India batter Aakash Chopra has questioned the omission of Mohammed Siraj from the ODI and T20I squads. Siraj, who is a seasoned campaigner for the national team in Tests, remains out of the squad in the other two formats. His last T20I appearance came in July 2024, and that in ODIs came in October this year. The pacer has not been picked for India's ongoing white-ball series against South Africa that consists of three ODIs and five T20Is.
"Can you understand what is happening with Mohammed Siraj? I cannot understand at all. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that he has become a one-format player. And when did this happen? When he plays Test cricket, we are so effusive of him for his passion, commitment and wicket-taking abilities," Aakash Chopra said in a video on X.
Notably, Siraj was also not part of the team during the Champions Trophy held earlier this year. He was rather kept in the list of 'non-travelling substitutes'.
The right-arm pacer has played 16 T20Is, scalping 14 wickets, but his ODI stats are much better comparatively. Siraj has played 47 one-dayers at the highest level, picking up 73 wickets. He has an economy of 5.17 in the format.
"How did he vanish from ODI cricket? He is playing domestic cricket currently. When he was not picked for the Champions Trophy, we were a little disappointed because two years prior to that, he was the highest wicket-taker for India in ODIs," the former India batter said further in the video.
Chopra has put forward the question at a time when India bowlers are faring poorly against South Africa in the ongoing three-match ODI series. Led by KL Rahul, the team posted 349 and 359 in the first and second matches, respectively, but failed to impress with the ball. While India managed to win the first game narrowly in the last over, they lost the second contest.
The series decider will be played on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team