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Former Indian National Cricket Team player Aakash Chopra criticized Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar for not picking Mohammed Siraj in the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He said the his exclusion was very surprising because he had done nothing wrong.
The Indian National Cricket Team named the 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday (January 18). While most of the players kept their place, in what was a huge shock, Mohammed Siraj was dropped from the squad.
India picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh in the CT squad; Mohammed Siraj dropped
Mohammed Siraj, who has been a regular member of the Indian national cricket team in all three formats, faced a backlash when the team management picked only three bowlers from the team in Jasprit Bumrah , Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh along with Harshit Rana. , who is the backup.
Mohammed Siraj, who has a decent record in ODIs and also became the No.1 bowler in 2023, was dropped when Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar mentioned that they picked Arshdeep Singh over him because they wanted someone bowled with a new ball and death. The captain said that Siraj becomes ineffective when he does not take the new ball.
Harshit Rana is also ahead in the ODI queue ahead of Siraj which is very surprising – Aakash Chopra
While talking about the omission, Aakash Chopra pointed out that there is no certainty about the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj has been left out, who has done nothing wrong. He stressed that the team could have picked one less spinner and touted the selection of Harshit Rana in the England series over Siraj as surprising. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said:
“Nobody knows about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. Nobody knows about Mohammed Shami’s fitness. He may be fit but nobody knows what his form will be. Arshdeep has been named in the team and there is no place for Mohammed Siraj.
“He hasn’t done so bad that he doesn’t even feature in the team. I feel for DSP. Siraj, I’m for you. Siraj could have been picked. There could have been a minor spinner. Harshit Rana is too. ahead in the ODI queue ahead of Siraj, which is very surprising.”
There are only three fast bowlers, and that’s big news for me: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra further added that he was surprised by the team’s decision to pick only three fast bowlers. He pointed out that with only three seamers in the squad, the management has decided that three spinners will play in the XI. He explained:
“There are only three fast bowlers, and that’s great news for me. When you pick three bowlers, you’re only going to play 2 fast bowlers. If you wanted to play three seamers, you’d have picked four in your squad Chopra said. .
“It means you’ve decided to play three spinners. You’ve played your hand before anything has even started.”
In the 44 ODIs he has played, Siraj has taken 71 wickets in 44 matches. He was also part of India’s 2023 World Cup campaign where Rohit Sharma and co managed to reach the final.
