T20 World Cup 2022: "He does not bring that much control in T20 cricket" - Aakash Chopra skeptical over Mohammed Siraj's candidature as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement 

Former Indian opening batter Aakash Chopra feels that Mohammed Siraj's recent exploits in the ODI series against South Africa do not warrant him a place in the T20 World Cup 2022. The Men in Blue are yet to decide on Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the marquee event, with a slew of names waiting on the sidelines.

The Hyderabad-born right-arm pacer has had a landmark year when it comes to ODI cricket, but his numbers in the shortest format are arguably concerning. He had a horrid Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign, claiming only nine wickets at an economy rate of 10.08.

Siraj's journey as a T20I player also sees a similar trajectory. Having only played six matches since making his debut in 2017, he has claimed five wickets at an economy rate of 10.54.

BCCI

@BCCI

.@mdsirajofficial put on an impressive performance with the ball throughout the #INDvSA ODIs and bagged the Player of the Series award 🏻🏻

#TeamIndia

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.@mdsirajofficial put on an impressive performance with the ball throughout the #INDvSA ODIs and bagged the Player of the Series award 👏🏻👏🏻

#TeamIndia https://t.co/uZoaPElpSs

Noting that Siraj might find it hard to bowl with the wet ball in Australian conditions, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"Does this performance mean that Siraj is ready for the World Cup? I will not mix formats. Siraj did not have a good IPL, he does not bring that much control in T20 cricket."

Chopra continued:

"Whenever Siraj has bowled well, it has been when India have fielded first. He bowls well with the dry ball, and gets the ball to reverse as well at times in the end, but he won't get similar conditions in Australia at the World Cup."

The right-arm pacer does have fond memories of bowling Down Under, however, those feats came with the red ball. Notably, Siraj made his ODI debut in Adelaide in 2019 and ended with figures of 0-76.

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"I still believe that either Shami or Chahar should be part of the World Cup squad" - Aakash Chopra

The list of candidates who could potentially replace Bumrah in the squad comes with their own set of perks and downfalls.

Mohammad Shami, while bringing experience and control into the side, last played a T20I game in 2021 and is also coming off a COVID-19 infection.

Deepak Chahar, on the other hand, is struggling with a back injury after playing a handful of white-ball contests.

Vikrant Gupta

@vikrantgupta73

Shami, Siraj and Shardul to fly out for Australia tomorrow. None of the other reserves to fly out - Deepak Chahar also out due to injury.
The team wants to take a call on Bumrah’s replacement after assessing them but Shami clear front runner @sports_tak

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Shami, Siraj and Shardul to fly out for Australia tomorrow. None of the other reserves to fly out - Deepak Chahar also out due to injury.
The team wants to take a call on Bumrah’s replacement after assessing them but Shami clear front runner @sports_tak

Opining that both Shami and Chahar should ideally be drafted into the main squad, Chopra said:

"I still believe that either Shami or Chahar should be part of the World Cup squad or even both for that matter of fact."

The final date for Team India to announce their replacement without the ICC's interference is October 15.

Who will replace Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad? Let us know what you think.

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