‘We made him a one-format player’: Former India cricketer questions major selection process

India’s Mohammed Siraj (PTI Photo) Former India batsman Aakash Chopra believes Mohammed Siraj was unfairly labeled a one-format specialist early in his international career, insisting the fast bowler has repeatedly shown he can be effective across formats.Siraj’s impressive performances in franchise cricket for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and later Gujarat Titans helped him push back into India’s white-ball plans. The right-arm pacer was included in India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup and has made an immediate impact whenever he has been given the opportunity. In a video shared on X, Chopra said that the perception around Siraj was created too quickly and did not accurately reflect his capabilities.“Bahut jaldi humne unko one-format player bana ke choad diya (We made him a one-format player very soon). It was decided early on that he couldn’t bowl with the older ball and should be dropped. He was out of favor for a long time but his fortunes changed and he was selected for the T20 World Cup where he took three wickets, now he is back in T20 and is again T2 recect in his first match. he said.The former opener also questioned some of the decisions made regarding Siraj’s place in India’s white-ball set-up over the past couple of years. Chopra felt the pacer was treated harshly despite regularly taking charge in the Test side.“There was a period when I honestly felt it wasn’t right. You played him in all the Tests where everyone needs workload management but you didn’t think about him. Then suddenly one day you said he was no longer part of the ODI squad and then he was also dropped from the T20Is; that wasn’t right,” Chopra said.Chopra was particularly critical of Siraj’s omission from the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. While admitting that Siraj’s place in the T20I setup could be debated, he argued that the fast bowler had done enough to secure a place in the ODI side.“He was not in the Champions Trophy team. I thought it was not right. His name should have been there. You may still understand it for T20Is, but his name should be there in ODIs,” he added.Siraj was recently rested for India’s ODI series against Afghanistan and Prasidh Krishna was named as his replacement. However, Chopra’s comments underline the belief that the Hyderabad pacer remains a valuable asset in India’s white-ball plans and deserves more credit for his performances outside the Test arena.