‘You will have to play him’ – Aakash Chopra backs Mohammed Siraj ahead of Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna for ODI World Cup

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra backed pacer Mohammed Siraj ahead of Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna to make the cut in India’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Notably, Siraj, Shardul, and Prasidh are part of the 17-member squad that will travel to the forthcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka which is slated to kickstart on August 30.

With the ODI World Cup on the horizon, cricketer-turned-broadcaster opined that the think tank will need to back the services of Siraj in the setup citing his solid numbers in the Asian conditions. 

"Mohammed Siraj is brilliant. He has had a short career. 43 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 20.7 and an economy rate of 4.78. They are better than both Bumrah's and Shami's numbers. In Asia, his average becomes 16.57 and economy rate is 4.51," Chopra told on his YouTube channel.

"His numbers in Asia are better than his numbers outside Asia. So, people who were talking about whether Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna can be played instead of Siraj, you cannot play anyone. You will have to play Siraj only. You should play him," he added.

While the squad for the World Cup will be decided following the conclusion of the Asia Cup, it remains to be seen if the pace trio make the cut or if there will be certain changes. In addition to this, the Asia Cup will serve as a dress rehearsal for the big-ticket ICC event and the aforementioned pacers will look to make the most to cement their spot for the World Cup squad.

Speaking about the national team, the players, who are a part of the Asia Cup squad, are currently in the midst of the five-day skill-enhancement camp in Alur, Karnataka. The Men in Blue will kickstart their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2.

The think tank will aim to obtain a core setup for the marquee ICC event which will be played in India, starting on October 5. However, the management will have another shot at obtaining a solid group during the ODI series against Australia which will be played after the conclusion of the Asia Cup 2023.