IND vs SA: Siraj to replace Bumrah for remaining T20Is
Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj has been called in to replace an injured Jasprit Bumrah for the second and third T20Is against South Africa. Bumrah, who has suffered a back injury and missed the first T20I, will be out of action for months, including the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Siraj aced the proceedings for Warwickshire on his County debut, bagging a five-fer (5/82). Here's more.
India squad for the second and third T20Is
India squad for 2nd and 3rd T20Is: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj has been India's mainstay seamer in Test cricket
Siraj, who made his Test debut in December 2020, is one of the few Indian bowlers with an ability to clock over 140 KPH consistently. He often troubles the right-handed batters with the ball that comes in sharply. Siraj has cemented his spot in the Indian Test side, replacing Ishant Sharma. However, he is yet to deliver in white-ball cricket.
A look at Siraj's T20I numbers
Since debuting against New Zealand in 2017, Siraj has featured in only five T20Is. He has garnered only five wickets but at a questionable average and economy of 41.80 and 10.45 respectively. Siraj last played for India in February 2022, appearing in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka at home. He bagged figures worth 1/22 in four overs.
Siraj was out of contention for Australia T20Is
Siraj had note-worthy performances in both Zimbabwe one-dayers and County cricket. Despite that, he wasn't considered as a first-choice replacement for Mohammed Shami, who had contracted COVID-19 ahead of the Australia T20Is. Instead, the team management backed Umesh Yadav, with skipper Rohit Sharma citing that "it won't be fair on Siraj to fly all the way down to play only one or two games".
A look at the latest developments
Earlier this year, Bumrah suffered a back injury that ruled him out of the Asia Cup. However, he recovered in time for the Australia series. Bumrah was also included in India's squad for the T20 World Cup. The senior pacer missed the series opener before playing the rain-curtailed second T20I. Bumrah conceded 50 runs in the series decider.
Bumrah has hardly played much cricket since IPL 2022
After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, Bumrah played the rescheduled Test versus England. He appeared in one T20I against England, claiming 2/10. This was followed by two ODI matches against England where he claimed 6/19 and 2/49. He made his return versus Australia, playing two T20Is with his figures reading 1/23 and 0/50.
India eye glory versus the Proteas
India lead the three-match series by 1-0, credit to an all-round exhibition from Rohit's men in the first outing in Thiruvananthapuram. Fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul guided India to an eight-win wicket in the 107-run chase. The second and third T20Is will take place on October 2 and 4 respectively. It could be India's maiden win over SA at home.
