India and Australia are clashing in the first of the three ODI matches at the IS Bindra PCA stadium in Mohali on September 22, 2023. However, in a surprising move, the Indian team management rested Mohammed Siraj, their ace pacer and the no.1 ranked ODI bowler from this encounter.
Australia arrived in India for three ODIs, with the second match to be played in Indore on September 24 and in Rajkot on September 27. This will be the last bilateral assignment for both teams before they enter the World Cup 2023 campaign.
India stand-in captain KL Rahul won the toss and revealed that India was playing with three pacers Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami. The Men in Blue also fielded two spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin made his comeback into the ODI setup.
Mohammed Siraj Unwell, Hence Rested From The First ODI Against Australia: Abhishek Nayar
Mohammed Siraj missed the first ODI against Australia at the PCA Stadium in Mohali due to a minor issue with his health. Stand-in captain KL Rahul did not provide an official update on Siraj at the time of the toss.
Siraj has not been feeling well for the past few days, and the Indian team management decided not to risk their star pacer for the series opener on Friday, according to former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar on Jio Cinema.
“Siraj has been under the weather for the last couple of days. That’s why the management did not risk him,” said Nayar.
The man replacing Siraj is Mohammed Shami. India has been forced to keep him out of the XI because of the combination they are going in with.
“We are talking about Shami because he is back but we have to remember that he is a top bowler. Not too long ago, he was India’s best pacer. So that’s not a bad replacement to have,” said Abhishek Nayar.
There is no real cause for concern about the No.1-ranked ODI bowler. It was more of a precautionary measure not to include him in the first ODI. Siraj is being handled carefully keeping in mind the World Cup 2023 tournament which begins in a few days.
