the journey of Muhammad Siraj has been full of ups and downs in international cricket, but the fast bowler has consistently found a way to come back stronger. In the last few years, Siraj has established himself as one of them of India the most reliable pace bowler across formats delivering match-winning performances both at home and abroad. Despite his success, many viewed him primarily as a Test specialist, and questions arose about his effectiveness in white-ball cricket.
However, Siraj has worked hard to change this perception through consistent performances in franchise cricket and on the international stage. For his impressive displays Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) in the year IPLcoupled with his strong performances for India when the opportunity arose, helped him regain his place in the national set-up. Ex-Indian Corpse Akash Chopra believes that the criticisms against Siraj at that time were premature and unfair.
Aakash Chopra on labeling Mohammed Siraj as a one-format player
Speaking in a video shared on his social media account, Chopra reflected on Siraj’s career trajectory and emphasized that the pacer was only classified as a bowler fit for Test cricket. According to Chopra, Siraj has been written off in the shorter formats despite possessing the skills required to succeed in all forms of the game. He noted that the Hyderabad pacer was out of favor for a long time before making a successful comeback into India’s T20 plans through strong performances.
“Bahut jaldi humne unko one format player bana ke choad diya. It was decided ahead of time that he cannot play with the old ball and should be dropped. He was out of favor for a long time but fortune changed and he was selected for the T20 World Cup where he took three wickets in his first match and now he is back in T20,” Chopra said.
The former opener stressed that Siraj’s revival is a testament to his perseverance and ability to adapt his game. His speeches IPL 2026 and T20 World Cup helped silence many critics who questioned his effectiveness in limited-overs cricket.
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Chopra questions Siraj’s exclusion from India’s ODI plans
Chopra also expressed disappointment with the way Siraj was managed at a certain stage in his international career. He felt that the pace order carried a heavy workload in Test cricket, but despite his strong performances, he was suddenly dropped from India’s white-ball plans.
The cricketer-turned-commentator described Siraj’s exclusion from India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad as a decision he disagreed with. While Chopra admitted that there could be controversy over Siraj’s place in the T20I setup, he insisted that the fast bowler’s ODI credentials are not in doubt.
“There was a period when I really felt it wasn’t right. You played him in all the Tests, where everyone needs workload management, but you didn’t think about it. Then suddenly one day you said he was no longer part of the ODI squad and he was dropped from the T20Is; it wasn’t right,” Chopra said.
Siraj rested against India’s ongoing ODI series Afghanistanwith Prasidh Krishna called as a substitute. However, the fast bowler is expected to return to international action during the upcoming T20I series Ireland later this month, he will have another opportunity to push his case across formats.
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