India's star pacer Mohammed Siraj has opened up on not being picked for Champions Trophy 2025. The fast bowler was struggling with his form ahead of the tournament and that saw him being exluded from the India squad for the mega event. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were the pure pacers that India picked. The team went on to win the title with a convincing victory over New Zealand in the final match of the tournament. Notably, India remained unbeaten at the event, having won five consecutive matches.
While reacting to his snub, Siraj was quite honest in accepting that it was a difficult time for him and he found it tough to deal with it.
"For a professional, an ICC event is incredibly important. It's every player's dream to win one. I've always dreamed of playing in the Champions Trophy and doing well for my country, but perhaps it wasn't written in my destiny. At first, it was difficult to reconcile, but I made peace with myself, focussing on improving and performing better. That has given me immense motivation," Siraj told Cricbuzz.
"I started concentrating on my fitness and running. I spoke to Soham Bhai (trainer Soham Desai), who guided me with a programme to work on my fitness. Soham Bhai has been a crucial support system for me, both in the past and present. When I first met him in 2018, I wasn't fully convinced by his methods. But he told me that to achieve big things, one has to sacrifice. I trusted his advice, and now, he knows my body better than I do," he added.
Siraj has not played limited-overs cricket for India for eight months now. His last white-ball appearance came back in August 2024. It was an ODI match vs Sri Lanka. The right-arm pacer was part of the Indian team that toured Australia for a five-match Test series that concluded in January this year.
Siraj is currently playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2025. It has been a good season for him as the pacer has picked 11 wickets in 7 matches. His economy is 8.96.