Mohammed Siraj has been a regular fixture in the Indian cricket team in recent times.© BCCI
Mohammed Siraj has been a regular fixture in the Indian cricket team in recent times.© BCCI Photo by Pankaj Nangia / Sportzpics for BCCI

Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has opined on Mohammed Siraj’s chances of playing the ODI World Cup this year. The much-anticipated marquee event is scheduled to be India in the later half of 2023 and the right-arm pacer is in contention to make it to the India squad.

Not very long ago, Mohammed Siraj was not a regular member of the team in any format. However, things have changed completely in recent months thanks to his stunning and consistent performances. Even on Indian pitches, he has shown that he can do the damage.

Siraj has impressed one and all with his ability to make a difference irrespective of the conditions. He has the ability to swing and seam the new ball and when it gets old, he brings out the wobble-seam variation to get things done.

Mohammad Siraj
Mohammad Siraj Credits: Twitter

Recently, he proved himself in the ODI format during the home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. He finished the series with 14 wickets to his name and became the new No.1 ODI bowler in ICC Rankings.

Dinesh Karthik on Mohammed Siraj’s chances:

While only time will tell whether Mohammed Siraj go on to play his first-ever World Cup or not this year, Dinesh Karthik believes the pacer has a food chance of doing it. Not only that, Karthik has also backed him to pick up 300 wickets in Tests if he manages to avoid injuries.

“I’m very sure that he would be part of the 2023 World Cup team. He deserves that spot, he has done really well. The 2022 IPL taught him a lot of things about handling failures, and that has kept him in good stead. I see him as one of those — let’s just say he doesn’t get injuries — at least a 300-wicket Test bowler,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz’s ‘Rise of New India’.

Speaking further, Karthik explained what Mohammed Siraj needs to do to become a better bowler in T20s.

“He definitely has the aptitude for that, he has the skill set for that. It’s only a matter of whether he can stay fit for that long. He has shown so far that he’s very reliable. His strongest in Test cricket, one-dayers will come after that. T20s is where he is still learning,” said Karthik.

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