'Unfortunate that he has to miss out' - Rohit Sharma on Mohammed Siraj's Champions Trophy snub

Indian team for the Champions Trophy 2025 was announced on Saturday, January 18. One name which was missing from the 15-member roster and came as a surprise to many was that of Mohammed Siraj. Siraj was part of the World Cup 2023 and also the T20 World Cup 2024. But, owing to his poor form in white-ball cricket, the right-arm pacer missed out on travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arshdeep Singh made it to the squad.

Siraj has been struggling to come among wicket in the white-ball cricket. He played three games in the T20 World Cup 2024 and managed to pick only one wicket. In 2024, he was part of three ODIs and managed just three wickets. While commenting on looking over the 30-year-old, Rohit Sharma highlighted the lack of effectiveness in Siraj’s bowling when he is bowling with the old ball. 

"We are not sure about Bumrah, whether he was going to play or not. So, we thought we wanted someone who can bowl with the new ball and at the backend. So we picked Arshdeep to bowl at the backend. Shami, we all saw what he can do with the new ball. Siraj, his effectiveness comes down when he is not bowling with the new ball,” said Rohit in the press conference.

"It's an unfortunate thing that he has to miss out. But, we had no option get the guys who can perform a certain role. I personally feel we have guys who can bowl with the new ball, bowl in the middle and bowl at the backend. With these three bowlers, we think we can do that,” he added.

It's a tough call, but we needed to take it: Rohit

Moreover, another pacer who made it to the squad was young Harshit Rana, as a reserve. Along with him, veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami has also made a much-awaited comeback. It is worth noting that, though the pace quartet, Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Arshdeep and Harshith look lethal, India will be wary of Bumrah suffering from back issue and is not termed fully fit.

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"Shami is a stalwart in white-ball cricket. Harshit, we needed something different. He has shown he has got the potential. So, we need to back him. But, look at Jaiswal, we picked him based on what he has done in the last 6-8 months.He has not played ODIs, but we picked him. But, he has shown potential. Sometimes, we need to do that. If we talk about everyone, we can't please everyone. Yes, it's a tough call, but we needed to take it,” Rohit concluded.