The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced Mohammed Siraj as the replacement for Harshit Rana in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Rana has been officially ruled out of the 20-team tournament after suffering a knee injury during a warm-up game against South Africa in Mumbai.
The right-arm seamer was forced to leave the field after bowling just one over in the practice match, visibly in discomfort and clutching his knee. He was later spotted with his thigh heavily strapped, and India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted ahead of Saturday’s tournament opener that the injury appears to be serious.
He was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying:
“He’s being assessed by the physios. But I think, today we’ll know what’s going to happen. But it doesn’t look good, it’s not that great.”
While the Delhi-born cricketer adds depth to the defending champions’ batting, India have a strong bowling unit. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are likely to lead the pace attack, with Hardik Pandya serving as the seam-bowling all-rounder. However, the team does not have a reliable back-up option for Pandya in that role.
Siraj Was Included In India’s T20 World Cup 2024 Winning Squad
Meanwhile, Siraj was part of the Asian side’s title-winning squad in 2024. However, the right-arm pacer took only one wicket in three matches at an average of 57, though he maintained a decent economy rate of 5.18. He was later replaced by left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh in the latter part of the tournament.
The Hyderabad-born bowler has not played a T20I since July 2024 and has featured in just 16 matches, picking up 14 wickets at an average of 32.28. Given that the defending champions have a settled and strong bowling attack, Siraj is unlikely to feature in the starting XI.
Suryakumar Yadav’s team will begin their campaign against the USA on Saturday, February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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