T20 World Cup 2022: "Your numbers are more ordinary than Shami's" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj's inclusion in Team India reserves

Aakash Chopra has pointed out that Mohammed Siraj's shortest format numbers are inferior to that of Mohammed Shami and that he did not merit a place in India's T20 World Cup 2022 squad ahead of the latter.

Shami has been drafted into India's squad for the global T20 event as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj and Shardul Thakur have been included in the reserves, with Deepak Chahar also getting ruled out of the tournament.

Reflecting on the selection in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Siraj does not enjoy a great T20 record. He said:

"Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have become a part of the team reserves in Australia. The discussions that were happening about Mohammed Siraj recently, the numbers are not that flattering. Your numbers are more ordinary than Shami's."

Chopra added that Siraj has been taken to the cleaners quite often in both T20I cricket and the Indian Premier League. The former India batter elaborated:

"If you see Mohammed Siraj's T20I numbers, he has an economy of 10.5, he has played only six matches. If we see T20s, there also he has an economy of 8.5. If we see his numbers for RCB last year, he was hit at an economy of 10, picked up just nine wickets in 15 matches."

Siraj conceded 44 runs and failed to pick up a wicket in his four overs in the only T20I he played in the recent series against South Africa. He also had a dismal IPL 2022 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

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"He is not a wicket-taker with the new ball" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj has enjoyed greater success in Tests and ODI cricket.

Chopra pointed out that Siraj has not proved to be a potent weapon with the new ball in T20s. He explained:

"If you see his powerplay record, he has picked up 22 wickets in 61 matches and has an economy of 8.5. For India, he has picked up just one wicket in six innings. So he is not a wicket-taker with the new ball."

Chopra added that the Hyderabad pacer has been found wanting quite often in the death overs. The renowned commentator observed:

"He has an economy of nearly 11 in the death overs in T20s and an economy of 12 when he plays for India. He has not mastered T20s till now. Everyone was getting excited because of his ODI performances. These numbers are telling that you shouldn't get excited, he gets hit a lot in T20s at times and more so in the death overs."

Siraj was apparently not in India's scheme of things for T20 World Cup 2022 initially. However, Avesh Khan's indifferent T20I performances and the RCB pacer's excellent spells in the ODIs against the Proteas have earned him a spot in the reserves.