Mohammed Siraj has been named as the replacement for Jasprit Bumrah in India’s T20I squad for the remainder of the series against South Africa.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that pace ace Jasprit Bumrah will miss the remainder of the ongoing T20I series between India and South Africa. On Friday, the apex cricket board in India revealed that speedster Bumrah has been replaced by pacer Mohammed Siraj for the T20I series.
Siraj last featured in a T20I for India in February against Sri Lanka and is seen mainly as a red-ball option at present. His latest outing was a one-off appearance for Warwickshire against Somerset earlier this month, where he picked up a five-wicket haul.
So far Siraj has played only five T20Is, picking up as many wickets at an economy of 10.45. Since 2020, however, he’s been a regular feature for Royal Challengers Bangalore and was also one of three retentions for them ahead of this year’s auction.
Siraj isn’t the only late addition to the squad. Just before the series opener, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed and Umesh Yadav were also included in the side.
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Netizens unimpressed with Jasprit Bumrah replacement
The decision to name Mohammed Siraj to replace Jasprit Bumrah has not gone down well with the Indian fans. While a larger section of fans wanted the veteran Mohammed Shami into the side, some demanded the addition of ‘Yorker King’ T Natarajan for the t20 World Cup.
Mohammed Shami had a very impressive IPL in the previous season with the Gujrat Titans having picked up 20 wickets, and was clearly one of the best fast bowlers in the tournament. Netizens believe that his past experience on Australian soil could have come in handy in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Natarajan might not have the same pace as Bumrah but he is famous for his toe-crushing yorkers and slower variations. Replacing the leader of your pace attack is a difficult task for any team but if there was any bowler who could have been Bumrah’s like-for-like replacement, it was Natarajan.
While slamming the BCCI, a few fans even presented facts to back their opinion. The last time India played a T20I series in Australia, Natarajan was their standout bowler.
Also read: Breaking! Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of T20 World Cup due to injury – Report
