Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has voiced his concerns over the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj from India's 15-man squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Chopra believes Siraj could have been a better inclusion at the expense of spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, given the tournament's conditions and India's bowling balance.
India's squad, led by Rohit Sharma, features a robust pace attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya providing additional support. However, Siraj's absence has raised questions, as the pacer has been a standout performer in recent times. Chopra, speaking in a YouTube video, argued that Siraj's inclusion would have strengthened the playing XI and offered more versatility to the pace department.
"In my opinion, Mohammed Siraj should have been a part of this team and I will even tell in whose place he should have been there. The team has two left-arm spinners and one off-spinner. You could have dropped one of the three. If you wished, you could have left out Ravindra Jadeja and kept Mohammed Siraj in his place," Chopra said.
"You could have done that because I feel Siraj would have had greater value. He would have been used more. He would have contributed more to the team and I see lesser chances of Jadeja playing. Honestly speaking, he might not play at all. So if Jadeja is not going to play, you would have had a player who would have had greater chances of playing," he added.
In the spin department, India opted for Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja. Chopra's suggestion to replace Jadeja with Siraj stems from the perception that the former's recent performances haven't been impactful, particularly during India's Test series defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Champions Trophy, set to be played in a hybrid model across Pakistan and Dubai, is expected to feature pace-friendly conditions in some venues. This makes the decision to omit Siraj even more surprising for some experts. Siraj's ability to exploit swing and seam in such environments could have provided a crucial edge to India's campaign.
The squad retains most of the players from India's ODI World Cup 2023 roster, with notable inclusions like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh. Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain, while Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are expected to handle wicketkeeping duties.
India's squad for the Champions Trophy:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
Comments