The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on July 27 (Thursday) revealed the reason behind fast bowler Mohammed Siraj flying back to India ahead of the Men in Blue's ODI series against the West Indies. In an official statement, the Indian cricket board said that Siraj has a sore ankle and the medical team advised rest for the fast bowler.
"Mohd. Siraj has been released from Team India’s ODI squad ahead of the three-match series against the West Indies," BCCI said in a release.
"The right-arm pacer has a sore ankle and as a precautionary measure has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team.
"The team has not called for a replacement player for the ODI series, which commences on July 27, 2023 in Barbados," it added.
Siraj flew back with other Indian players who were part of the Test squad but not the 50-over squad. Mohammed Shami was earlier rested from the entirety of the West Indies tour, and in his absence, Siraj was tasked to lead India's bowling attack. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler starred in his role during the recently-concluded Test series between India and West Indies. The right-arm pacer bagged nine wickets in two matches, including a five-wicket haul in the 2nd Test, and was awarded the Man of the Series award.
Siraj has played continuously since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. After representing RCB in the cash-rich competition, Siraj was part of India's World Test Championship (WTC) final team before flying to the Caribbean for the two-match red-ball series.
India have four outright fast bowlers in their ODI squad - Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar and Umran Malik - excluding fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
The fitness of Indian cricketers has been in question in the last couple of years with several marquee players forced to miss major matches due to injury. With the 2023 Asia Cup around the corner and the box-office 2023 ODI World Cup scheduled to start on October 5, the BCCI and the Indian team management would want all the key players free from injury and in top shape.
India's ODI squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad.
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