'He is the first man to be left out' - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj amid ENG vs IND 2026 ODIs

Amid the ongoing three-match ODI series between India and England, Aakash Chopra noted that right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj is the first one who gets left out of the Men in Blue's white-ball squads. However, the former India opener backed Siraj to don the blue jersey soon.

Siraj was initially named in India's squads for the T20I series in Ireland and England. However, the selectors later decided to give him rest and replaced him with Prasidh Krishna. The Hyderabad pacer wasn't picked in the ODI squad for the matches against England.

"We have sidelined him silently. We did that in ODIs first, saying he is unable to bowl with the old ball. He remains out in T20 cricket in any case, although he was a part of the World Cup. He came and took three wickets on the first day itself," Chopra responded when asked on his YouTube channel about Siraj not being a part of India's white-ball setup.

"He gave an almost Player of the Match performance that day. Now he is not being seen in ODIs as well. It seems like he has been sidelined a little. There is a slight lack of clarity. He is the first man to be left out, but I feel you will see him as part of the Indian team going forward," he added.

"He is the kind of player you won't be able to keep away for long" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj

Chopra pointed out the constant chopping and changing when it comes to India's fast-bowling department. However, the cricketer-turned-expert backed Siraj to make a comeback to the side.

"I feel he will come because he is the kind of player you won't be able to keep away for long. There is so much continuous churning in fast bowling that you will find that who is not there today would have come tomorrow," he said.

While Chopra said that he isn't sure about Siraj's place in the T20 setup, he mentioned that the veteran seamer will return to the 50-over squads heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"There is one thing for sure. The Indian team has confidence in him that if something goes wrong, Siraj will be fit and ready, and when he plays, he will give his 100 percent. I think Siraj will come back. His name will come in ODI cricket. I am not so sure in T20Is, but in ODIs, come the World Cup, he will be there," Chopra observed.