Mohammed Siraj takes bold 'Ranji Trophy' call after being dropped from ODI team

Team India’s fiery pace bowler Mohammed Siraj will not be seen in action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after being dropped from the ODI squad in favor of Arshdeep Singh by the national selectors.

After being shown the door by the BCCI and the Indian selectors, Mohammed Siraj has decided to skip his state team Hyderabad’s upcoming fixture against Himachal Pradesh on January 23 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25.

Mohammed Siraj set to miss Hyderabad's Ranji match against Himachal Pradesh after ICC Champions Trophy 2025 snub

The Indian pacer has made himself unavailable for Hyderabad’s upcoming Ranji fixture against Himachal Pradesh due to workload management, as he was recently involved in all five Test matches on the Australia tour, where Team India suffered a 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

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However, Siraj will be available for Hyderabad’s last Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Vidarbha, which is set to be played from January 30 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has confirmed the Indian pacer's availability for the next encounter against Vidarbha.

A Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) official was quoted as saying by Times of India on Sunday (January 19): “He (Mohammed Siraj) has some workload concern, so he will not be playing the first game. But will, in all likelihood, turn up for the last game vs Vidarbha.”

Star Indian players set for Ranji Trophy 2024-25 actions

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad cricket team is currently standing at the sixth spot in the Elite Group B standings of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 with nine points from five matches. As India’s premier first-class competition heats up, the Hyderabad team’s hopes of improving their position got a major boost with the much-anticipated return of Siraj to the Ranji action.

Adding to the excitement, several Indian cricket team stars are gearing up to represent their state teams in the next round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Ravindra Jadeja is set to represent Saurashtra, Rishabh Pant will bolster Delhi, Shubman Gill is ready to shine for Punjab, while Mumbai will benefit with the return of India captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 'Weak captain' Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli torn apart after Karun Nair's shocking snub

However, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will miss the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game due to some minor fitness issues, but they are expected to join their respective Delhi and Karnataka sides for the next game. With the big names of Indian cricket returning to the domestic arena, the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25 fixtures will certainly be thrilling ones.

Mohammed Siraj loses his impact when he is not given the new ball: Rohit Sharma

Earlier, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his sympathy for Mohammed Siraj but said that the pacer lost his effectiveness with the old ball, and the team was looking for a bowler who could bowl with the new ball in the middle overs and the last phase of the game, and Arshdeep Singh was a great fit.

Rohit Sharma had said at the press conference last week in Mumbai: “Siraj loses his impact when he is not given the new ball.” Notably, Siraj recently scalped 20 wickets in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.