Mohammad Siraj has been given a rest for the ODI series against West Indies as a precautionary measure due to a sore ankle that he complained about.
Mohammed Siraj, the talented Indian cricketer, will be taking a break during the ODI leg of the West Indies tour. He has been rested as a precautionary measure due to a sore ankle that he complained about. Siraj returned to India along with other Test players, including R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat, and Navdeep Saini, after India’s 1-0 series victory.
With Siraj’s absence, Shardul Thakur becomes the most experienced fast bowler in India’s squad, having taken 50 wickets in 35 matches. The other three fast bowlers – Umran Malik, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mukesh Kumar – have only played a combined total of 15 ODIs. In fact, Mukesh is yet to make his ODI debut. The team management has decided not to call for a replacement for Siraj.
India has a packed schedule leading up to the home ODI World Cup in October. They will participate in the Asia Cup from late August to mid-September, followed by a three-match ODI series against Australia at home in September.
During the recent Caribbean tour, Siraj wasn’t part of the T20I squad but made a significant impact in the two Tests, taking seven wickets. In the first Test, he claimed a five-for on a flat Port-of-Spain pitch, causing a batting collapse for the West Indies on the fourth morning.
Before the West Indies tour, Siraj played in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, where he picked up five wickets, including a four-for in the first innings. Additionally, he performed exceptionally well for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023, taking 19 wickets in 14 matches, making him the leading wicket-taker for RCB, who narrowly missed the playoffs.
Siraj’s last ODI series was against Australia at home in March 2023, where he finished with five wickets, the most for India and second-most in the series. Since the start of 2022, Siraj has taken 43 wickets in ODIs, the highest among all Indian bowlers during this period.
