'He took 5-wicket-haul against Sri Lanka, broke partnerships vs Pakistan': Rohit Sharma's Siraj theory dumped by Bangar
Sanjay Bangar found it surprising that Mohammed Siraj didn't find a place in India's squads for the England ODIs and the Champions Trophy.
KL Rahul enjoyed an exceptional 2023 ODI World Cup, barring the final against Australia. The right-handed batter scored 452 runs in the tournament, emerging as the go-to man in the middle order alongside Shreyas Iyer. However, despite India having played just three ODIs since the home World Cup, questions about Rahul's place in the playing XI are asked. With Rishabh Pant breathing down his neck, no one really knows what combination captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir plan on going ahead with.
Can there be a case for Pant to come in India's Playing XI? Former India batter Sanjay Bangar believes that he may have to wait to get into the 11 since both cannot fit in. The three-match ODI series against England will provide valuable insight into the management's approach to the Champions Trophy. On the eve of the Nagpur ODI, captain Rohit Sharma all but confirmed KL Rahul’s place in the lineup, emphasizing the importance of maintaining "continuity."
"I don't think both can play in the single line-up. You are right that the team, generally, because of the make-up of the team, is right-hand dominant, at least in the top six. And we have seen in the past how Jadeja has been used in batting at 4 or 5 according to the needs of the situation of the game," Bangar said while replying to a Hindustan Times query during a select media interaction.
"So, they have that luxury of Jadeja at number 7 who can obviously fit in and do the role of a left-hander through the middle overs if the situations arise wherein there are left-arm spinners or leg spinners where teams do rely on those type of bowlers. So, yes, there is an option in Jadeja, and because of that, I think Rishabh Pant may still find it difficult to break in the Playing 11 straight away," added Bangar, who is also a Star Sports Network Expert.
Mohammed Siraj a quality bowler
Bangar also believes that Mohammed Siraj is a quality bowler and disagrees with Rohit's argument that the pacer is less effective with the old ball. Despite having good numbers in ODIs, the Indian pacer was not picked in the squad for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. With Jasprit Bumrah already an injury concern, the absence of Siraj only adds to the worries.
"This question was asked to Rohit as well in the press conference. And we got an idea of what the team management is thinking because they believe that Siraj's utility, they would want to exploit more so with the new ball. But it's always a little bit risky to categorise players as okay; they can only be very effective in a particular phase," said Bangar while replying to another Hindustan Times question.
"So, yes to answer your question, I am a little bit surprised as to how Siraj was part of the winning team as well. Because in some of the games, he did really well in the middle overs as well. The game against Pakistan in Ahmedabad comes to my mind, where he came and broke the partnership. So, I feel that he has been India's prime bowler, even if you remember the Asia Cup. He took a fifer just close to nothing against Sri Lanka in the finals. So, I think there is a little bit of surprise, and the reason given is that they are looking at who is better-suited phase-wise. But I think a quality player is a quality player irrespective of the phase," he added.
Shreyas an excellent player of spin
Bangar reserved high praise for Shreyas Iyer, noting that the right-handed batter often goes under the radar. He added that Shreyas fully deserves his success, having consistently excelled in his role.
"Unfortunately, because of an injury, his Test career, which was looking to blossom at one time, came to a little bit of a gap. But he is somebody, an excellent player of spin, something that is required, who can attack spin really well, who can go down the wicket. So the team was looking for such a batsman at No.4 and No. 5, and in that particular role, he was remarkable. So great to have him back, and he does go under the radar, and so has been the case of the quality of Indian batting," said Bangar.
"That once you have batting around so many quality players like in Shubman, Rohit, Virat and then KL and Hardik. There are times when you can fly a little bit under the radar, but that doesn't really mean that he is less effective. He has performed the role really well and he deserves all the success because he has been around the domestic circuit for a long time and is a quality performer," he added.
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