Siraj moves on from World T20 snub, wants India to keep the trophy

The best thing about Mohammed Siraj is despite being the seniormost paceman in the Indian ranks in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence and Mohammed Shami out of reckoning, he wears the stature lightly on his shoulders. Snubbed for the upcoming T20 World Cup despite being a member of the 2024 title-winning squad, the effervescent character felt it was more a matter of ‘workload management’ and chose to live in the present, that of containing the quietly efficient Kiwis in the ODI series decider in Indore on Saturday.

 The below-strength Black Caps have once again punched above their weight in the three-match series, with Daryll Mitchell proving to be their nemesis with a gritty century to bounce back with a seven-wicket win in the second game in Rajkot. Poised at 1-1 and the Kiwis looking for their first-ever ODI series win in India, the onus is now on Men in Blue to underline their domination at home on a wicket which looks full of runs.

 The mood of the host city in Madhya Pradesh is not quite celebratory though with reports of large scale water contamination – which has led to casualties and nearly 400 people being hospitalised. There are media reports of India captain Shubman Gill carrying a personal water purifier, worth nearly Rs three lakhs, despite the international teams being lodged in top flight accommodation. The hosting state association, meanwhile, needs to be watchful about the safety standards of the drinking water in the stadium as a ODI sees the fans spending nearly eight hours at the venue.

‘’The Indore wicket is known to be a high scoring one and the ground is also small. We have to focus on bowling stump-to-stump to induce mistakes from the batters,’’ said Siraj, who understandably sidestepped a query on Arshdeep Singh not getting a game so far in the series. ‘’There was a bit of dew which made bowling difficult in Rajkot which made bowling difficult,’’ Siraj said though he kept things under control with figures of 8-0-40-2 (Vadodara) and 9-0-41-0 (Rajkot).

  The Miyan of Indian attack, who has been named as Hyderabad captain for the first time for two upcoming Ranji Trophy matches, has always shared a special chemistry with Virat Kohli – his former captain in both the Indian team and IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.  ‘’There is strong input from the seniors,’’ he said, referring to the presence of the Big Two for one final game before they disperse ahead of the T20 series. ‘’Wins and losses happen but the atmosphere in the dressing room is very healthy, especially as we prepare for bigger tournaments,’’ the 31-year-old said.

How challenging was it to reconcile with the fact that he has been in and out for the white ball scheme of things? “I was rested from the last ODI series against South Africa because I had bowled 40 overs in the second Test (vs South Africa in Guwahati),’’ he said. “I haven’t been in and out. I played in Australia (ODI series) then was rested (against South Africa). For a fast bowler, adequate rest is very important. Been playing Test matches consistently and you end up working out a lot. You need to refuel to maintain the rhythm and focus,’’ he added.

 The seam attack in the T20 World Cup will comprise of Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh with allrounder Hardik Pandya as the fourth option. “I played the last T20 World Cup and not this time. For a player, playing in a World Cup is a different dream – playing for your country. The team is quite good on paper and in form. My best wishes to them. Keep the trophy here,’’ he said.

Co hosts India have been placed alongside Netherlands, USA, Namibia and Pakistan in Group A of the competition that starts from February 8.

Catch the match

India vs New Zealand

3^rd ODI at Indore

Start: 1.30 pm IST