Pacer Mohammed Siraj is unlikely to take any part in the Champions Trophy, starting February 19, as he was ignored by the selectors while picking India’s 15-man squad. Siraj, who will now be seen in action during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, was recently jamming with legendary singer Asha Bhosle’s granddaughter Zanai. In a viral video, the two were singing a few lines from the song ‘Kehndi Hai’ from Zanai’s new music album. In a joint post, Siraj and Zanai wrote on Instagram: “To the person who is the reason for a lot of us to follow our dreams. You simply are the best ever!”
On the eve of the start of the Champions Trophy, Siraj took a trip to the holy city of Mecca to perform Umrah. Siraj’s pilgrimage comes days of ahead of the start of the holy month of Ramazan. Siraj shared a picture from his trip to the Mecca.
Zaina also reacted to post with three heart emojis.
Zaina and Siraj were rumoured to be in a relationship. However, before the rumours could become a matter of trouble, Zanai cleared air on the bond of her with Siraj, calling him “Mere pyaare bhai (my dear brother)”. Zanai took to her Instagram story to share her post, metioning Siraj. The pacer also re-mentioned, calling her “behna”.
Meanwhile, Siraj was also not picked for India’s ongoing white-ball series against England. He is only part of the non-travelling substitute for the Champions Trophy.
Former India pacer Irfan Pathan expressed concerns over the lack of a pace-bowling backup in the Champions Trophy-bound squad, suggesting that Siraj could have been included given Jasprit Bumrah’s uncertain fitness.
Notably, Bumrah, who is currently recovering from injury, is subject to availability for the ICC event.
“You need a backup pacer. Siraj could have been a good option. In Dubai, playing four spinners isn’t viable. With Bumrah and Shami returning from injuries, it won’t be easy for them straight away,” he said at a promotional event as quoted by PTI.
“A pacer like Siraj would have filled that gap. That said, we hope the selectors’ choices perform well, and we should back them,” he added.
India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy, 2025: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.
(With PTI Inputs)
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