Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah should be opening the bowling in ODIs. Bumrah was ruled out of the third ODI against England due to a knee injury, whereas Siraj was not picked in the ODI squad.
Siraj last played for India in T20Is in the World Cup when he replaced injured Harshit Rana in the squad.
As Jasprit Bumrah was unwell for the opening clash against the USA, Siraj got a chance in the playing XI. The fast bowler from Hyderabad bagged three wickets and was able to hit the ground running.
However, Siraj played his last ODI in the three-match series against New Zealand at Indore. Siraj has scalped 76 wickets in 50 ODI matches, whereas he has picked 17 wickets in as many T20I games.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “I don’t understand why he (Mohammed Siraj) is not there. Apart from that, I feel Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj should be playing most of the games leading up to the World Cup because this should be our bowling combination. In my opinion, Siraj and Bumrah should be opening the bowling with the new ball.”
The former domestic giant highlighted that India’s bowling becomes very inexperienced when Bumrah doesn’t play.
“When Bumrah does not play, our bowling attack becomes very inexperienced, whether it is T20s or ODIs. I don’t understand why Siraj is not playing. I am sure he is part of the World Cup plans because he is a genuine wicket-taker and he gives his all for the team.”
Meanwhile, Gurnoor Brar conceded 97 runs in his quota of 10 overs in the final ODI against England. Jaffer said there are a lot of question marks over India’s bowling line-up.
“I thought Brar has been decent. There is still a long way to go, but you can see the potential in him. He bowls with good pace and if he hits the right lengths, he can be effective. Although he conceded a lot of runs yesterday, apart from that, there are many question marks over this bowling line-up. Whether we talk about Arshdeep or Prince Yadav, who has been decent, especially in the T20 format, but in 50-over cricket, I would say there is still a long way to go.”
India’s next ODI series is against the West Indies in September.
