Indian Muhammad Siraj (PTI Photo)
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra believes Mohammed Siraj was unfairly labeled as a specialist in just one format early in his international career, insisting that the fast bowler has shown time and again that he can be effective across formats.Siraj’s impressive performances for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket franchise and later Gujarat Titans helped him make his way back into India’s white-ball plans. The right-arm pacer has been included in India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup and has made an immediate impact whenever he gets the opportunities.
Speaking in a video shared on X, Chopra said that the perception surrounding Sooraj has been formed very quickly and does not accurately reflect his capabilities.“Bahut Jaldi humne unko is a one-format player bana ki chuad diya (We made him a one-format player too soon). It was decided prematurely that he could not play with the old ball and had to be dropped. He was out of favor for a long time, but his fate changed, and he was selected for the T20 World Cup, where he took three wickets in his debut match, and now he is back in the T20 account,” Chopra said.The former opener also questioned some of the decisions made regarding Siraj’s place in India’s white-ball line-up over the past two years.
Chopra felt that the player was treated harshly despite regularly shouldering responsibilities in the Test side.“There was a period when I honestly felt it wasn’t right. I played with him in all the Tests, as everyone needs to manage the workload, but didn’t think about it. Then, suddenly one day, you said he was no longer part of the ODI squad, and then he was removed from the T20Is as well; that wasn’t right,” Chopra said.Chopra particularly criticized Siraj’s exclusion from India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
While he acknowledged that there might be discussions about Siraj’s place in the T20I setup, he maintained that the fast bowler has done enough to secure a place in the ODI team.“He was not in the Champions Trophy squad. I thought that was not true. His name should have been there. Maybe you can still understand the T20Is, but his name should be there in the ODIs,” he added.Siraj was recently rested for India’s ODI series against Afghanistan, with Prasidh Krishna named as his replacement. However, Chopra’s comments underscore the belief that the Hyderabad pacer remains a valuable asset in India’s white-ball plans and deserves greater recognition for his performances outside the Test arena.
