He has bowled with an economy of close to eight in the shortest format of the game.
Former India player Harbhajan Singh is disappointed after the BCCI’s selectors ignored Mohammed Siraj for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Siraj had a terrific outing in the recently passed five-match Test series against England, where he scalped 23 wickets.
On the back of his brilliant bowling, the Indian team managed to win the Test matches at Edgbaston and the Oval.
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The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, decided to go with Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana as three pacers for the high-octane event. Prasidh Krishna was picked in the reserves.
The last time Siraj played a T20I game for India happened in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and after India’s title win, the 31-year-old pacer went out of favour in the shortest format of the game. Former spinner Harbhajan Singh stated that Siraj brings in that X-factor in the Indian bowling line-up.
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“I feel that Siraj’s name should have been included as well. Siraj bowled very well in the recent series. Yes, he did a lot of bowling in England, but he also got adequate rest. So he could have been included. If he had been taken, the team would have looked even stronger. The bowling unit would have seemed stronger. I feel that the “X-factor” that Siraj brings might be somewhat missed,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
As of now, Siraj has played a total of 16 T20I games, where he has picked 14 wickets for India. He has bowled with an economy of close to eight in the shortest format of the game. Harshit Rana, who was given a nod ahead of Siraj, has an economy of 8.25 in the T20Is. The young Indian pacer was asked to go home from the England series, but still managed to be among India’s 15 for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.
Talking about the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, Suryakumar Yadav has been named as skipper of the side. Shubman Gill has been appointed Surya’s deputy for the much-awaited event.
The Asia Cup 2025 is slated to take place from September 9 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the men in Blue will start off their campaign by playing against the UAE on September 10. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled to transpire on September 14 in the UAE.
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
