71 wickets in the last 43 ODIs - most by an Indian pacer since 2022 but still, Mohammed Siraj failed to impress the selectors to get picked in the Champions Trophy squad. Siraj - the workhorse in the Indian bowling unit - was shockingly ignored when skipper Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the team for the Champions Trophy on Saturday. The selection committee made a bold call by picking only three specialist pacers in the squad - where the first one is still recovering from a back injury - Jasprit Bumrah, the second - Mohammed Shami will be making his comeback to international cricket after more than a year just before Champions Trophy in England series, while the third - Arshdeep Singh has experience of just 8 ODIs.

The Indian selection committee has been pretty unpredictable lately when it comes to squad announcements for ICC events. Take Ambati Rayudu, for instance; he was seen as the go-to number 4 batter before the 2019 World Cup but ended up missing out. The same goes for Yuzvendra Chahal during the 2021 T20 World Cup. Now, Siraj's exclusion is even more puzzling, especially with the Indian team facing fitness issues with two of their main fast bowlers.

In this latest selection, they've gone with four spin options—Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav—while only bringing in three pacers.

What else could Siraj have done?

India's cricket team only played three ODIs last year, which didn’t give the selectors much to evaluate in terms of players' current form. They had to look back to the 2023 World Cup to assess the players' ODI skills, but it’s puzzling how Siraj could be left out of the Champions Trophy. He was the top wicket-taking pacer for India in 2023, snagging 44 wickets.

At 30, Siraj really stepped up for the Indian bowling lineup when Bumrah and Shami were sidelined with injuries, proving to be a reliable asset for the captain in every match.

Rohit and the team will be playing their Champions Trophy games in Dubai, where the conditions are likely to mirror those in India. Siraj boasts an impressive bowling record in Asia, with 63 wickets in 37 ODIs and a fantastic strike rate of 25.8.

What did Rohit Sharma have to say about Siraj not being included?

Rohit Sharma mentioned that it was unfortunate for Siraj to be left out, but he didn't hold back in pointing out Siraj's struggles with the old ball, which played a part in the decision.

"Siraj's performance dips a bit when he’s not taking the new ball. We talked it over a lot, and since we’re only taking three seamers to the CT, we wanted to have all-rounders on board," Rohit explained during the press conference.

"It’s a tough break for Siraj, but we had to go with players who can fulfill specific roles," he added.

Rohit hinted that India aimed to have a squad heavy on all-rounders, which suggests a lack of faith in the batting lineup, especially since many of the batters haven't been in great form lately. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have faced significant challenges in the red-ball format, while Shubman Gill and KL Rahul also struggled with consistency last year.

This lack of trust in the batting order led the selectors to choose only three specialist pacers, a trend we've seen recently. They opted for four all-rounders—Pandya, Sundar, Jadeja, and Axar—to bolster the batting, but this decision left their bowling a bit vulnerable.

Siraj's impact with the new ball is impressive!

Siraj, at 30 years old, may not have excelled with the old ball, but he’s a nightmare for batters when it comes to the new one. Out of the 71 wickets he took, 40 were from the top three batsmen. His knack for swinging the ball away and delivering that unexpected wobble seam has been a real challenge for batting line-ups everywhere.

His outstanding performance against Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup final was one of the finest fast-bowling showcases by an Indian bowler in any tournament final. He took six wickets for just 21 runs, helping to skittle Sri Lanka out for a mere 50 runs, making it an easy win for the visitors.

How Shami's performance in the 2023 World Cup is bumping Siraj down the rankings

Siraj kicked off the 2023 ODI World Cup as Bumrah's bowling buddy, but when Hardik Pandya got injured during the tournament, it actually worked out well for India. Mohammed Shami stepped in and made a huge impact, becoming the top wicket-taker with 24 wickets in just 7 games. Since then, Siraj's position has taken a hit, as he’s now behind Bumrah and Shami in the lineup. Plus, with the Champions Trophy squad announcement around the corner, it looks like Arshdeep Singh has also moved ahead of him in the race, potentially ending India's search for a left-arm pacer since Zaheer Khan.

That said, relying solely on pacers for a big event like the Champions Trophy could be a risky move.

Siraj's departure is being blamed on workload management, but is that really a valid reason?

Since the beginning of 2023, Siraj has bowled a whopping 683.5 overs, making him the Indian pacer with the most overs bowled. He’s definitely been the backbone of the Indian bowling lineup. Former cricketer Irfan Pathan pointed out that this heavy workload could be why Siraj is out. Typically, teams manage player workloads during bilateral series rather than ICC tournaments. The management could have given him a break in the last couple of Tests against Australia to lighten his load, but missing out on the Champions Trophy isn’t the best situation. On another note, choosing Harshit Rana over Siraj for the England ODIs might indicate that Gautam Gambhir, who took over as coach last year, isn’t planning to use Siraj in white-ball formats.

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