India's fiery paceman Mohammed Siraj has been dropped from India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England as well as the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Siraj has been overlooked for young gun Arshdeep Singh for the prestigious tournament.
With Mohammed Siraj not part of India's upcoming tour, the star will have to fulfill his domestic commitments, thanks to the latest guidelines issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of the disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 2024-25 campaign in Australia.
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandated that all Indian players participate in domestic cricket in all formats, if not on national duty, to remain eligible for Team India selection and central contracts.
Hyderabad await Mohammed Siraj's decision for 2024-25 Ranji Trophy after opting out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025
However, as the next round of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 is scheduled to start on January 23, there is still no clarity on Mohammed Siraj's participation for Hyderabad in the first-class tournament. Many top international stars are set to feature for their state teams in the next Ranji round including Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill.
But the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) remains in the dark about Mohammed Siraj's availability for the rest of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. The Hyderabad cricket team management is said to be yet to receive any communication from Siraj ahead of their crucial Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Himachal Pradesh at home.
Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president Jagan Mohan Rao and selection committee chairman Harimohan Puruvu also refused to divulge any update on the pacer's availability. However, Siraj has been a regular fixture in the Ranji Trophy for his state team, Hyderabad.
Haven't heard anything about him from HCA: Hyderabad cricket team management
A member of the Hyderabad cricket team's management was quoted by the Times of India as saying, “We don't have an update yet. So far, I haven't heard anything about him from HCA.”
The right-arm pacer has so far played 76 first-class matches and has taken 260 wickets at an impressive average of 26.10 and an economy rate of 3.26, with best match figures of 6/21. He was also impressive in the recent tour of Australia where he finished with 22 wickets in 5 Test matches.
Mohammed Siraj also played a key role in taking the Men in Blue to the 2023 ODI World Cup final and 2024 T20 World Cup glory as well as winning the Asia Cup title in 2023. Despite his proven record and experience, the Indian selectors went with Arshdeep. Singh for the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma explains why Mohammed Siraj dropped out of CT 2025 batch
Arshdeep has played only 8 ODIs so far, but Indian captain Rohit Sharma pointed out that the young pacer's ability to bowl at any stage of the game has helped Siraj for the upcoming eight-nation tournament, where they will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20.
Rohit Sharma stated, “Siraj, his efficiency goes down when he is not bowling with the new ball.”