The last time Siraj played a T20I game for India transpired during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, declared the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead the side while Shubman Gill returned to the T20I fold as the vice-captain. The likes of Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh managed to retain their places in the Indian squad. Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana will be the frontline pacers of the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. A lot of debate has been going on over the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj from the Indian T20I team.
Despite giving a brilliant performance in the five-match Test series against England, Siraj failed to find a spot in the Indian team for the Asia Cup 2025. The 31-year-old pacer finished the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy 2025 with 23 wickets, helping India draw the five-match Test series 2-2.
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Siraj picked up a total of 16 wickets in the IPL 2025 for the Gujarat Titans across 15 matches. But then the likes of Bumrah and Arshdeep took more wickets than him. Harshit Rana, on the other hand, was one of the standout bowlers in the cash-rich league and also bowled well in his debut series against England earlier this year.
The reason why Siraj lost his place in India’s T20I lineup because of his lack of effectiveness in the death overs. No doubt, he is a brilliant bowler with the new ball, but then he has leaked a lot of runs while bowling in the slog overs.
Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, has been a versatile bowler for India as he is a handy bowler with both new and old balls. As of now, Siraj has taken part in 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 T20I format.
India has a ready pool of fast-bowling options, including Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, which gives the team management flexibility to rotate resources as needed. The last time Siraj played a T20I game for India transpired during the 2024 T20 World Cup, and after India’s title win, the Hyderabad-based pacer was sidelined from the shortest format of the game.
