The decision was taken to manage the workload of the fast bowler
Indian pacer Mohmmad Siraj series has been rested for the ODI series against West Indies. The decision was taken to manage the workload of the fast bowler. Siraj was going to lead the pace attack in the ODI series as well in the absence of Mohmmad Shami as he did in the test series with a five-wicket haul on a dead wicket in Trinidad. With Shami Rested India now has a relatively inexperienced pace attack with Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur being the two most experienced bowlers in the attack which also consists of Mukesh Kumar Jaydev Unadkat and Umran Malik. With Siraj rested and Hardik almost certain of a place in the eleven it would be interesting to see how many fast bowlers India will play in the first ODI.
The Workhorse
Talking about Siraj the fast bowler last played an ODI versus Australia in March and was the second-highest wicket-taker in the series which India lost 2-1. He ended up with five wickets in the series. Since then, he has been playing consistent cricket, including the IPL followed by the final of the World Test Championship and the recently concluded two-match test series against West Indies. Interestingly BCCI hasn’t yet announced any replacement for Siraj but it is likely to do in the coming days. Following the decision Siraj will now get a well-deserved month-long back before the Asia Cup as he is not part of the T20I series against West Indies and Ireland
The Replacement
Talking about players who can come in as a potential replacement of Siraj the first name which comes to mind is that of Deepak Chahar. The fast bowler last played an ODI against Bangladesh before he got injured in the same match. He made a comeback in IPL 2023 but got injured again after playing initial matches for CSK. He was back bowling for CSK after missing a few matches but wasn’t looking fully fit. So, the question arises will BCCI take a chance with Chahar considering his fitness issues or will they go for the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has fallen out of contention in ODIs
