Aakash Chopra is not pleased with the way the Indian Team management has handled Mohammed Siraj in white-ball cricket, questioning his snub. According to him, the right-arm pacer can become a key bowler in shorter formats of the game.

Siraj was dropped from the ODI side after the decision-makers felt that he was not good with the old ball.

The 32-year-old was recalled to one-day internationals during the New Zealand series earlier this year.

Siraj also made it to the T20I side after an 18-month absence following an injury to Harshit Rana before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He only played against the United States of America and was among the wickets. Chopra feels Siraj has enough talent to perform well across formats, and labelling him a one-format bowler was a premature call.

“We made him a one-format bowler soon. It was a premature decision that he was not impactful with the old ball and should be excluded.

He was out of the team for a long time, but things changed. He was added to the T20 World Cup squad, and he went on to pick three wickets in one match. He is back again in the shortest format,” Aakash Chopra said.

Siraj was a part of the IND vs AFG one-off Test and picked up one wicket as the host nation won the game by an innings and 300 runs. He rested from the ODI series between the two countries. Siraj was withdrawn from the upcoming tour of the UK to manage his workload.

Not the right call – Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj not playing the fifty-over format

Aakash Chopra said that not taking Mohammed Siraj for the 2025 Champions Trophy was a harsh decision.

He remarked that there could be a discussion on his place in India’s T20I team, but he should play the ODIs.

“There was a time when I felt that decisions were not right. He played all the Test matches, and it is a format where bowlers need workload management. One day, he was no longer associated with the ODI team, and then he was dropped from the T20I squad as well. The calls were not right.

“Not taking him to the ICC Champions Trophy was wrong. He should have played the tournament.

Maybe you can still debate about T20Is, but he should play the fifty-over format,” he added.

Chopra urged the fans not to speculate about Siraj’s absence from the upcoming T20I series in Ireland and England, saying that there was a possibility of the speedster himself asking for a break.

“Is his workload management being managed by the team? You and I can’t decide anything, as we are not aware of how much cricket one has played and if there is any fitness concern. Does he need rest? I don’t know, but there is a chance of the seamer asking for rest,” he concluded.

Siraj could play in the ODI series against England.

The team hasn’t been announced yet. The first game is scheduled to be played in Birmingham on July 14.