ODI World Cup 2023: 7 Changes in India’s Squad from 2019 World Cup

3. Mohammed Siraj replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had picked 10 wickets in 6 matches in the 2019 edition of the World Cup. However, injuries cut short his journey in the mega event. One of the best exponents of swing, Bhuvneshwar battled with form and injuries since the World Cup in England. The swing king last played for India in the build-up for the T20 World Cup 2022. 

Thereafter, the Hyderabad-based pacer, Mohammed Siraj, stepped up to the occasion, especially since last year. The bowler showed impeccable swing abilities with the ball and has often picked up wickets of top-order batters of the opposition on a consistent note. Siraj has been preferred in longer formats, given how fragile Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s body has been.

Notably, Mohammed Siraj has played in 25 ODIs for India post the 2019 edition of the ODI World Cup. During this brief period, the pacer has scalped 46 wickets from 24 innings. Quite impressively, the bowler has two four-wicket hauls to his name while maintaining a decent economy of 4.71. Besides he also delivered a decent strike of picking a wicket in nearly every 24 balls of his bowling spell in the ODIs. Hence, the management will expect him to inflict damage on the top-order batters of the opponents to give the home side an edge when it comes to picking early wickets in the 50-over format.