Mohammed Siraj comes back to where it all started, to his home ground in Hyderabad where India play New Zealand in the first of a three-match ODI series on Wednesday. India captain Rohit Sharma can’t emphasise enough his improvement in the last two years since an eventful debut in Australia.
“He is a very important player for us,” said Sharma at a press conference on Tuesday. “He has improved his line and length a lot in the last two years. Now we are getting to see his outswing. He was not known for his swing but he did that against Sri Lanka. That is very good for the team if he can do that with the new ball consistently.
“He understands his bowling a lot better now which is a big thing in my view. He also knows what the team wants from him. All in all, he has become a very good bowler for us. He can take wickets in all phases and we need bowlers like him. We need to manage him and keep him fresh for the World Cup as well as the upcoming Tests against Australia.”
Shreyas ruled out
{{/usCountry}}Shreyas ruled out
{{/usCountry}}Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out due to a back injury. “He will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management,” a BCCI statement said. Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar, who is yet to play for India, has been named his replacement. This opens up a spot for Ishan Kishan, who sat out the last series against Sri Lanka despite scoring a double ton in Bangladesh. “Kishan will be batting in the middle order. I am glad he could get a run here after that fine knock in Bangladesh,” said Sharma.
Another change in the squad is the addition of Shardul Thakur, possibly to add more batting depth. “You want to play your best eleven at the end of the day. Number 8 and 9 is going to be a challenge for us, someone who can bat at that point. That is why we got Shardul in, he can give us that edge at No 8," said Sharma.
“That is one aspect where we can be challenged if we lose early wickets or in the middle order. It is something that can worry you. Having said that, if you have seven good batters who can do the job for us in any situation then you can look at playing combinations as well. We will be playing (World Cup) all over India in different conditions. We need to assess everything. Whether we can play with three spinners. Luckily we have got spinners who can bat -Axar, Washy (Sundar), Shahbaz and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja).”
New Zealand are without the experience of pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult and batting mainstay Kane Williamson. Southee and Williamson have been rested while Boult is playing the ILT20 in the UAE, having opted out of a New Zealand central contract. “They (Boult, Southee, Williamson) are not in the side and that leaves a massive hole for us. On the other hand, it presents an opportunity for other guys who have been around the squad. Everyone has played international cricket in the squad which is a bonus,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham during the pre-match press conference.