There are dark clouds over the availability of Jasprit Bumrah for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The backup Test skipper gave his everything to make India win the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) but on the day that mattered the most, his body gave out. Bumrah was forced to sit out from the second innings of the Sydney Test as Australia handed a killing blow to win the BGT 3-1. Even Mohammed Siraj at helm couldn’t do anything about it.
Now the focus shifts to the ODI cricket, with India hosting England for three 50-over games before flying to Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy next month. But there’s uncertainty regarding Bumrah’s spot. India might not want to risk him but at the same time, they can’t afford to enter an ICC tournament without him as well. But let’s just leave aside Bumrah for once. Who should lead the Indian pace attack if Bumrah fails to recover in time? Many think it is Mohammed Siraj. But is he really a worthy candidate to spearhead a bowling attack that will be under immense pressure all through the tournament for being heavy favourites to lift the ICC Champions Trophy?
Rohit should not depend on “overworked” Mohammed Siraj
Provided India misses out on both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Siraj should not be burdened with the responsibility of spearheading the pace attack. After all, he has been the most “overused” bowler for the country for some time now. Since 2023, no other pacer comes close to his tally of 683.5 overs, a figure of 123.4 overs more than second-placed Bumrah. In this period, he has taken 104 wickets at a bowling average of 27.89. This average makes him rank 56 among the bowlers who have had at least 50 wickets since 2023.
There is no doubt that Siraj comes up with odd brilliance and is a pacer that likes to give it his all on the field. Take into account his absolute stellar performance at the 2022 Asia Cup Final against Sri Lanka, where he took 6/21. But there are hardly any other performances that make you go gaga over Siraj. He’s great when he supports the other first-choice pacer but as the leader of the pack, Siraj still has some way to go.
Indian pacers with most balls bowled since 2023 ft. Siraj, Bumrah
| Player | Inns | Balls | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siraj | 73 | 4103 | 683.5 | 2901 | 104 | 6/15 | 27.89 | 4.24 | 39.4 |
| Bumrah | 54 | 3361 | 560.1 | 1893 | 124 | 6/45 | 15.26 | 3.37 | 27.1 |
| Shami | 27 | 1485 | 247.3 | 1123 | 56 | 7/57 | 20.05 | 4.53 | 26.5 |
| Pandya | 46 | 1083 | 180.3 | 1197 | 48 | 4/16 | 24.93 | 6.63 | 22.5 |
| Arshdeep | 44 | 1065 | 177.3 | 1322 | 74 | 5/37 | 17.86 | 7.44 | 14.3 |
Another concerning fact for Siraj is his knack for leaking runs. In case Bumrah or Shami don’t play, the bowling unit would be highly inexperienced. In this scenario, you’ll not be wanting your premier pacer to leak runs left, right, and centre. Since 2024, Siraj has been India’s most expensive bowler. Among Indians with at least 40 wickets in the period, Siraj has operated at an economy of 4.10 (across formats), which is the worst. At the same time, his strike rate is also touching 50, ranking him worst again.
Considering all this, India should not be dependent on a tiring Mohammed Siraj, who desperately needs some time off the field to rejig his fortitude and form in order to make better contributions. There’s no denying his commitment, but the results could certainly be better. The Indian management has been cautious over Bumrah’s workload but similar hasn’t been the case for Siraj. He definitely could be in the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy but should be used as the second-choice pacer (at best). Arshdeep Singh could be another pick who should be used in the playing XI.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
KL Rahul rested from IND vs ENG ODIs after BCCI assures keeper of ICC Champions Trophy spot: Reports
Top Stories
