After shining in Test series, India superstar RESTED for ODI series against West Indies

He joined the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat, Navdeep Saini who won't be part of the fifty-over format.

After shining in Test series, India superstar RESTED for ODI series against West Indies

Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj (Image via Hindustan Times)

Indian management has rested star pacer Mohammed Siraj for the West Indies series to manage his workload. This was a last-minute move from the management because Siraj was part of the squad the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced before. The management is yet to name a replacement. India and West Indies will lock horns in the first ODI on Thursday (July 27).

As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, after India’s win in the Test series 1-0, Siraj joined the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat, Navdeep Saini who won’t be part of the fifty-over format. In the Test series, Siraj scalped seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul. His last ODI match was against Australia last year in March.

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This means the Indian pace attack will have players like Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar, and Jaydev Unadkat. Among these four players, only Thakur has 35 ODI match experience. Malik and Unadkat have played a couple of matches, while Mukesh Kumar if given the chance to bowl, will be making his ODI debut in this match.

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Check how Twitter reacted to Mohammed Siraj’s exclusion from the ODI series

After shining in Test series, India superstar RESTED for ODI series against West Indies
Mohammed Siraj (Image via Hindustan Times)

Fans understood that the BCCI needs to manage the workload of the players to prepare them for the upcoming 2023 ICC ODI World Cup in India. But some are also wondering why Mohammed Siraj should be given the rest from playing ODIs. They are saying, these pacers should feature more matches of the fifty-over format to prepare themselves better for the all-important tournament.

https://twitter.com/Tiviiterr/status/1684426471962710017
https://twitter.com/SakshamA2601/status/1684425983049494528

Siraj is also not a part of the five-match T20I series against India. It will start after the conclusion of the ODI series on Thursday (August 3). After this West Indies series, India will play in Asia Cup, then a three-match ODI series at home against Australia in September ahead of the World Cup in October.

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