Should India name Mohd Siraj as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for T20 World Cup? Editorji decodes

While many expected BCCI to put its faith in an in-form youngster as a replacement for an injured Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj's selection in the T20 squad came as a surprise to many.

He may have impressed with the red ball but the same cannot be said for the 28-year-old in the shortest format of the game. While Siraj had played just 1 T20I in 2022 before being called back for the South Africa series, his overall numbers don't make of great reading.

In 5 T20Is he has played so far, Siraj has picked just 5 wickets. The scary part is his economy rate as the pacer has leaked over 10 runs an over in every game.

Siraj may have had an impressive County season with Warwickshire but what made his selection in the T20 format bizarre was his forgettable run in IPL 2022. In the last season, Siraj was hit for 31 sixes, the most by any bowler in a single edition of the cash-rich league.

The RCB bowler leaked runs at an economy of over 10 in the 15 games he played. Moreover, he managed to pick up just 9 wickets.

But with Prasidh Krishna injured, Avesh Khan still recovering and T Natrajan's issues with fitness, who could have been an ideal replacement for Bumrah, if not Siraj?

Though comparing performances in international cricket to IPL records won't be just but one can't neglect it completely.

IPL is known to produce fresh talents every year and one man who impressed everyone in the 2022 season was Mohsin Khan. Though many believed that he would get his maiden India call-up sooner rather than later, it didn't happen. But fans started demanding to 'put the LSG pacer in the India squad' ever since Bumrah was ruled out. His numbers too justify the hype.

Mohsin Khan picked 14 wickets in 9 IPL games in his maiden run. What stood out was his economy rate of under 6 an over, which is no less than gold dust in T20 cricket

Another man who could have been looked at was Khaleel Ahmed. The left-arm pacer who was once looked at as a promising prospect for Team India has been out of selectors' radar for quite some time now. But he continued to make waves in IPL.

Khaleel picked up 16 wickets in 10 IPL games this year. His economy rate of a little over 8 might not be the best but not at all a concern.

Though fans would want Siraj to put his poor T20 record behind him and grab the opportunity with both hands, with a pool of young pacers to pick from, his selection doesn't seem justified on the face of it.

Also read: IND vs SA: Mohammed Siraj replaces Jasprit Bumrah in Team India squad, BCCI confirms