'He's currently the star in India’s pace bowling unit' - Ishant Sharma expresses admiration for Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj has been a force to reckon with in recent times. Initially, the pacer struggled to make a mark in international cricket but slowly, he became one of the best pace weapons in India's arsenal. Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Siraj will have an important role in the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup, as the Men in Blue will eye to win both prestigious trophies.

Meanwhile, speaking about Siraj, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma labelled him as the current best pacer in the Indian squad. He added that Bumrah’s impact would depend on his fitness but he reminded that the cricketer should play smart in order to remain injury-free. Interestingly, Sharma also added that the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh are the future stars of India’s pace unit.

“Siraj obviously (is the current star of India’s fast bowling unit). Should we add Bumrah or not, depends on fitness. I think Bumrah will have to play smart. There is no Test series until the World Cup, so he has to just play white-ball cricket. After that, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep, and Umran Malik,” said Sharma in Part 4 of his interview on Home of Heroes on JioCinema. 

India’s pace trio gets ready for Asia Cup

After the West Indies series, both Siraj and Shami were given rest for the Ireland tour. Jasprit Bumrah, who made his long-awaited return in the three-match series was mightily impressive and courtesy of the same, India bagged the title with a 2-0 win. 

Following which, all three pacers along with Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna are currently in Bengaluru and are undergoing practice sessions on a daily basis. Mohammed Shami, out of these four, has been extremely good in the nets and hence, can prove to be deadly in the upcoming Asia Cup, which is slated to begin on August 30. India, however, will play their opening game against Pakistan on September 2 in Sri Lanka.

Also see: Asia Cup 2023 Live Updates