The right-arm speedster was a part of India's squad for the three-match ODI series Down Under.
“When did Mohammed Siraj become a single-format player?” Though the question is being asked by Aakash Chopra in one of his videos, the same sentiment echoes the voices of multiple Indian cricket fans. Mohammed Siraj, who was once a regular feature in all the three formats of the game has now been reduced to just one.
These changes come at a time when the Men in Blue are on the road towards the preparations for the ODI World Cup in 2027. Though the team looks well set and bolstered with the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back into the scheme of things, the bowling attack is what might need work in the coming months.
After scoring runs in excess of 340 in each of the two games, the Indian bowling unit has found it difficult to stem the flow of runs against the South Africans, who bounced back brilliantly to level the series in Raipur. Even though dew played a huge role in the outcome of the second ODI, the Indian pacers looked rattled in both the ODIs.
The major question that is being asked of the Indian management is about the absence of Mohammed Siraj from the Indian ODI setup. The speedster was a part of India’s XI for all the three ODIs against Australia recently. He managed to pick just two wickets in the three-match series, but has the potential to be picked ahead of Prasidh Krishna in the ODI setup.
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There was a time when Mohammed Siraj was a regular feature in the ODI setup, before Rohit Sharma mentioned how he is not effective with the old ball – which got him out of the squad for a brief period. However, the Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer is extremely good with the new ball, and can also bowl in the middle-overs phase.
In the 2nd IND vs SA ODI in Raipur, both Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana were taken to the cleaners by the Protea batters. Prasidh Krishna was brought in as the first-change bowler. He ended up conceding 85 runs off just 8.2 overs and scalped two wickets – at an economy in excess of 10 runs. In addition to that, Harshit Rana was also taken for 70 runs off his seven overs with a solitary wicket.
Mohammed Siraj has played 47 ODI matches for India, picking 73 wickets. He was a vital ingredient in India’s run till the Final of the ODI World Cup in 2023. While both Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana have the pace, what they struggle with is the control. The former is more inclined towards pitching the ball at short lengths, which does not really provide an opportunity for the ball to swing.
Moreover, both Prasidh and Harshit are same kind of bowlers, and India do not need to have both of them in the same XI. This is exactly why the Blues need to think of getting Mohammed Siraj back into the mix for the ODIs. Prasidh Krishna’s skills can be really handy on decks where the ball does something off the pitch. But the speedster has not been putting the balls in the right areas so far.
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