Rohit had mentioned Siraj's ability to pick wickets with the old ball for his Champions Trophy snub.
Mohammed Siraj has been among the most regular senior members of the Indian team across all formats. The pacer has played 21 Tests, 28 ODIs, and eight T20Is since 2023 and has claimed a combined total of 104 wickets.
However, a torrid Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 where he claimed 20 wickets from 10 innings and specifically failed to step up in the final Test in Sydney in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence saw him axed from the next major tournament.
The Hyderabadi pacer was not a part of the Champions Trophy 2025 preliminary squad. Delhi fast bowler Harshit Rana was picked ahead of him in place of the injured Bumrah. Siraj, who had played a great supporting role to Mohammed Shami and Bumrah over the last few years, was demoted to the standby list.
When asked about Siraj’s snub, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had picked out a specific detail.
“Siraj’s effectiveness comes down a little bit if he’s not going to take the new ball. We discussed it at length and we are only taking three seamers there (CT) because we wanted all the all-rounders with us,” Rohit had said at the press conference for squad announcement.
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Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Siraj didn’t hide his disappointment as he replied to Rohit with a self-assessment.
“I have taken the most wickets with the old ball in the past year among the world’s ten fastest bowlers. My economy rate is also low. The numbers speak for themselves. I have performed well with both the new and old ball,” Siraj said at a press conference.
After eight seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mohammed Siraj will play for Gujarat Titans this year. The 31-year-old said the unexpected break has helped him work on his fitness and other aspects of his bowling.
“I have been playing for some years now, and usually, we don’t get that much rest. But now that I have got some time off, I have worked on my fitness and bowling skills. I have worked really hard with how to bowl with new and old balls, and I wanted to work on my slower balls and yorkers. This time I really used to work on those areas, and let’s how things pan out for me in this IPL,” Siraj said.
Siraj said that he is aiming to be back in the Indian side for the five-match Test series of England beginning in June and also the Asia Cup 2025 in September.
“Yeah as a player, it remains in the back of your mind that there is a tour of England and the Asia Cup but I don’t really seriously think about it, as my focus is on IPL and doing well for Gujarat Titans and helping them win another IPL title,” he said.
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