AUS vs IND | Mohammed Siraj has done well with red-ball; could be handy in Australia, opines MSK Prasad

10/20/2020

Ahead of the much-awaited series Down Under, MSK Prasad has opined that Siraj has done well with the red-ball, which could be handy in Australia as the fifth-place option. Alongside that, reports have added that Axar Patel too is in contention for a spot in the squad alongside Shardul Thakur.

The selection committee headed by Sunil Joshi would have a tough time next week, picking the large squad for India’s much-awaited series Down Under against Australia. Last time when they faced Australia in their home soil, the contingent came out victorious in the Test series, with a scoreline of 2-1, as the pacers ran a riot against the Australian batsman. However, this time around, they are jolted with the injuries to Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who are all but ruled out of contention for the red-ball series.

Siraj’s exceptional figures with the red-ball might be finally rewarded with an Indian cap, with the pacer having picked 147 wickets at an average of 23 in First-Class. Former Indian selector MSK Prasad has opined that Siraj has done well with the red-ball, which could be handy in Australia. However, he is set to face competition from Thakur, who has picked up 206 wickets at an average of 28.55.

"Siraj has really done well for India A over the past few seasons. I think he is a better red ball bowler and could be very handy in Australian conditions," former chairman of selectors MSK Prasad told PTI on Tuesday.

As per the reports from TOI, India are set to tour Australia with Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav as the first-choice options. Apart from that, Navdeep Saini is likely to edge his competitors for a fourth spot in the squad, leaving the fifth one, a tussle between Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj. On the other hand, Gujarat’s Axar Patel is set to travel as the spinning option, with the left-arm spinner’s performance in the Indian Premier League.

With the white-ball, however, Prasad believes that right-arm seamer Shivam Mavi might be given exposure, as a white-ball pacer now before being groomed for red-ball.

"Mavi could be given exposure as an extra pacer at least in white ball and maybe groomed later for red ball," Prasad added.