Snubbed from Champions Trophy, Siraj gears up to play the Ranji Trophy

Mohammed Siraj emerged as the highlight of India's squad announcement for the ICC Champions Trophy. While his inclusion would have been expected, his exclusion from the team for the marquee event made waves. Siraj has been one of India's primary seamers, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, for quite some time now. Moreover, Shami's injury-marred absence from the scene, which stretched over a year, placed even more emphasis on Siraj's spot in the team. Thus, when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee dropped the ace pacer from the India squad, the news came as a significant shock. However, with the BCCI reiterating the necessity of playing domestic tournaments, Siraj doesn't seem to have much time to mourn the loss of his place in the team. According to the latest reports, the seamer is set to play the final group-stage match for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

Mohammed Siraj set to join Hyderabad for Ranji Trophy

Mohammed Siraj has put in the hard yards for India across formats over the last few years, bowling more overs than both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Moreover, the 50-over format has been the strongest suit for the seamer, where he registered his career-best figures. The 30-year-old was a key player behind India's title victory at the 2023 Asia Cup, where he claimed 6 wickets for just 13 runs against Sri Lanka in the final. In the following ICC event, the 2023 ODI World Cup, Siraj picked up 14 wickets across 11 innings at an average of 33.50. Overall, since his debut in the format in 2019, Siraj has played 44 ODIs, taking 71 wickets at an average of 24.04.

His exploits, however, did not favor his case for selection in the India squad for the Champions Trophy. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee placed Arshdeep Singh ahead of Siraj in the selection race. The move, however, divided the fraternity, given Siraj's experience compared to Arshdeep, who has played only 8 ODIs in his career so far. With back issues casting a shadow over Jasprit Bumrah's participation, India would rely solely on Shami for seniority. Shami, meanwhile, is set to mark his comeback to the team after over a year during the England tour of India. Along with Bumrah, Shami, and Arshdeep, the other pace prospect in the India squad for the Champions Trophy is all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

India's skipper Rohit Sharma stated that Siraj's ineffectiveness with the old ball hindered his selection in the squad. Sharma explained that, with no clarity yet over Bumrah's participation, the squad needed someone who could be as effective with the old ball as with the new one. Meanwhile, the selection committee found Arshdeep Singh meeting the criteria better than Siraj.

The latest update on Mohammed Siraj suggests that he will be joining Hyderabad for their Ranji Trophy campaign. While the seamer will miss the upcoming clash against Himachal Pradesh, he is set to play the match against Vidarbha. The Hyderabad vs Himachal Pradesh group-stage match is scheduled to commence on January 22, but Siraj will sit out to manage his workload. However, with the board emphasizing the importance of domestic tournaments, the seamer couldn't delay his participation any further. As a result, he will feature in the Hyderabad vs Vidarbha clash, the final group-stage match of the Ranji Trophy.

“He has some workload concern so will not be playing the first game. But will, in all likelihood, turn up for the last game vs Vidarbha,” a Hyderabad Cricket Association official informed.