Former Indian opener and commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian selection committee about the reason behind dropping Mohammed Siraj from the Indian T20I squad despite putting in decent enough performances whenever he got chances.
Siraj’s last T20I came against the United States of America in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group stage, and he went on to scalp three important wickets, playing a crucial role in India’s victory. However, he hasn’t played a white-ball game since then.
“We have sidelined him silently. We did that in ODIs first, saying he is unable to bowl with the old ball. He remains out in T20 cricket in any case, although he was a part of the World Cup. He came and took three wickets on the first day itself,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“He gave an almost Player of the Match performance that day. Now he is not being seen in ODIs as well. It seems like he has been sidelined a little. There is a slight lack of clarity. He is the first man to be left out, but I feel you will see him as part of the Indian team going forward,” he added.
Furthermore, Chopra reckoned that Siraj wouldn’t be away from the white-ball teams for a long time, adding that whenever he gets a chance and plays a white-ball fixture, he will give his 100 per cent.
“I feel he will come because he is the kind of player you won’t be able to keep away for long. There is so much continuous churning in fast bowling that you will find that who is not there today would have come tomorrow,” he said.
“There is one thing for sure. The Indian team has confidence in him that if something goes wrong, Siraj will be fit and ready, and when he plays, he will give his 100 percent. I think Siraj will come back. His name will come in ODI cricket. I am not so sure in T20Is, but in ODIs, come the World Cup, he will be there,” Chopra concluded.
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