India strengthened their batting unit by selecting four all-round alternatives, but by excluding Mohammed Siraj, they exposed a weakness in their fast-bowling arsenal.Despite taking 71 wickets in the last 43 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), the most by an Indian pacer since 2022, Mohammed Siraj was not selected for the Champions Trophy roster. When captain Rohit Sharma and head selector Ajit Agarkar unveiled the team for the Champions Trophy on Saturday, Siraj, the workhorse in the Indian bowling unit, was surprisingly left out. By including just three specialist pacers in the roster, the selection committee took a risk. Jasprit Bumrah is still recovering from a back ailment, while Mohammed Shami will be returning to international cricket after more than a year just before Champions Trophy in England series, while the third - Arshdeep Singh has experience of just 8 ODIs.
For the previous many years, the Indian selection committee has been erratic in the process, releasing last-minute roster announcements for the ICC competitions. Despite being regarded as the number four batter before the competition, Ambati Rayudu was unable to qualify for the 2019 World Cup; Yuzvendra Chahal was also excluded from the 2021 T20 World Cup. Given that two of the Indian team's striking pacers are currently experiencing fitness issues, Siraj's exclusion seems even more strange.
Only three pacers were chosen for the team, but the selection committee chose four spin-bowling options: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav.
What else might Siraj have done?
Because Team India only participated in three ODIs last season, the selectors had limited information to consider about the players' previous performance in the format. To find out the players' ODI credentials, they had to travel back to the 2023 World Cup, but how can Siraj lose out on the Champions Trophy? With 44 wickets in 2023, Siraj was India's top wicket-taking pacer, thus it's a major mystery.
The selection committee selected four spin-bowling options: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, but only three pacers were selected for the team.
Could Siraj have done anything else?
The selectors had little material to work with about the players' prior performance in the format because Team India only played in three ODIs last season. They have to return to the 2023 World Cup to learn the players' ODI credentials, but how can Siraj miss out on the Champions Trophy? It's a big puzzle because Siraj was India's leading wicket-taking bowler in 2023 with 44 wickets.
Regarding Siraj's exclusion, what was Rohit Sharma saying?
While admitting that Siraj was disappointed to be left out, Rohit Sharma scathingly attacked Siraj's lack of skill with the old ball as a factor in his absence.
"If Siraj doesn't take the fresh ball, his effectiveness somewhat decreases. At the press conference, Rohit stated, "We talked about it a lot and we are only taking three seamers there (CT) because we wanted all the all-rounders with us."
"We had no choice but to get the guys who can perform a certain role, but it's unfortunate that he (Siraj) has to miss out," he remarked.
Given that the majority of Indian hitters have not been playing at their best lately, Rohit's suggestion that India wants to be an all-rounder-heavy team amply demonstrates their lack of faith in them. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were inconsistent with the bat last year, and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have recently suffered greatly in the red-ball format.
As has been the case recently, the selectors were forced to choose only three specialist pacers in the squad because to the lack of confidence in the batting lineup. They left a weakness in their bowling arsenal when they selected Pandya, Sundar, Jadeja, and Axar, four all-around alternatives, to bolster the batting line.
The efficiency of Siraj with the new ball!
Siraj, 30, is unmatched at unsettling the batters with the new ball, even though he may not have been the best with the previous one. He claimed 71 wickets, 40 of which came from the team's top three batsmen. Every batting lineup in the world found his ability to swing the ball away from the batter and his unexpected wobble seam delivery useful.
One of the best fast-bowling performances by an Indian bowler in a tournament final occurred during his amazing stint against Sri Lanka in the 2023 Aisa Cup final. As Sri Lanka was swept out for just 50 runs, he took six wickets for just 21 runs.
Only three pacers were chosen for the team, but the selection committee chose four spin-bowling options: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav.
What else might Siraj have done?
Because Team India only participated in three ODIs last season, the selectors had limited information to consider about the players' previous performance in the format. To find out the players' ODI credentials, they had to travel back to the 2023 World Cup, but how can Siraj lose out on the Champions Trophy? With 44 wickets in 2023, Siraj was India's top wicket-taking pacer, thus it's a major mystery.
The selection committee selected four spin-bowling options: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, but only three pacers were selected for the team.
Could Siraj have done anything else?
The selectors had little material to work with about the players' prior performance in the format because Team India only played in three ODIs last season. They have to return to the 2023 World Cup to learn the players' ODI credentials, but how can Siraj miss out on the Champions Trophy? It's a big puzzle because Siraj was India's leading wicket-taking bowler in 2023 with 44 wickets.
Regarding Siraj's exclusion, what was Rohit Sharma saying?
While admitting that Siraj was disappointed to be left out, Rohit Sharma scathingly attacked Siraj's lack of skill with the old ball as a factor in his absence.
"If Siraj doesn't take the fresh ball, his effectiveness somewhat decreases. At the press conference, Rohit stated, "We talked about it a lot and we are only taking three seamers there (CT) because we wanted all the all-rounders with us."
"We had no choice but to get the guys who can perform a certain role, but it's unfortunate that he (Siraj) has to miss out," he remarked.
Given that the majority of Indian hitters have not been playing at their best lately, Rohit's suggestion that India wants to be an all-rounder-heavy team amply demonstrates their lack of faith in them. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were inconsistent with the bat last year, and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have recently suffered greatly in the red-ball format.
As has been the case recently, the selectors were forced to choose only three specialist pacers in the squad because to the lack of confidence in the batting lineup. They left a weakness in their bowling arsenal when they selected Pandya, Sundar, Jadeja, and Axar, four all-around alternatives, to bolster the batting line.
The efficiency of Siraj with the new ball!
Siraj, 30, is unmatched at unsettling the batters with the new ball, even though he may not have been the best with the previous one. He claimed 71 wickets, 40 of which came from the team's top three batsmen. Every batting lineup in the world found his ability to swing the ball away from the batter and his unexpected wobble seam delivery useful.
One of the best fast-bowling performances by an Indian bowler in a tournament final occurred during his amazing stint against Sri Lanka in the 2023 Aisa Cup final. As Sri Lanka was swept out for just 50 runs, he took six wickets for just 21 runs.
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