A couple of months ago, Mohammed Siraj was India’s go-to bowler after Jasprit Bumrah. That is no longer the case. The pacer hasn’t featured consistently in T20Is but has made his case in the longer formats. Every now and then, Siraj produces a spell that makes people rave about him, but consistency has always been his issue across formats.
Recently, he was even dropped by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after six consecutive failures. Many want him to go to the T20 World Cup 2024, but does he deserve a play?
Mohammed Siraj’s forgettable IPL 2024 season
His overall T20I or IPL numbers aren’t great, and this 2024 season he has been horrendous. He’s picking up a wicket every 6 overs and leaking runs doing so as well. With Mohammed Shami no longer available, his inconsistency poses a problem rather than giving the Indian cricket team a solution.
Considered to be a specialist powerplay bowler, his record isn’t something that even he might want to look at. His strike rate, average, and economy all take a massive hit. However, it’s the wicket column that’s the worst. Although Mohammed Siraj is known to give up a few runs, he takes heaps of wickets to compensate for that. If he isn’t even doing that, what exactly is the purpose of having him on the side?
Siraj’s IPL 2024 powerplay stats
| Mat | Wkt | Econ | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 10.46 | 78.5 | 45 |
T20 WC
Avesh over erractic Siraj: Kris Srikkanth
Former Indian selector, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, feels that Mohammed Siraj has done nothing to prove that he warrants a place in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. While Irfan Pathan made a case for him as the third pacer in the XI, alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, Srikkanth explained why having him is of no use.
He labeled the pacer ‘erratic’ and talked about how he bowls well in one game and then is a no-show in the next 10 matches. His inability to bowl in every phase was also targeted by the former India selector. He stated that unlike Arshdeep or even Avesh, Siraj can’t give you one or two overs in the death.
