"I'm not a big fan of Mohammed Siraj in white-ball cricket"- Sanjay Manjrekar
Team India handed out two debuts in the first ODI against England today, with Mohammed Siraj missing out.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said he is not a fan of Siraj as a white-ball bowler and hinted that India might look at him as a Test specialist going into the future.
Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya earned their maiden call up in the playing XI in the first ODI.
Mohammed Siraj, who impressed everyone in the Test series against Australia and England, was ignored, with the hosts going in with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna as the three seamers.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said India is simply exploring more options by handing Krishna his debut.
"Prasidh Krishna is just another bowling talent that India is exploring. They have already got their five guys. I'm not a big fan of Mohammed Siraj in white-ball cricket . If he has found his confidence in Test match cricket, India might just look at Mohammed Siraj more and more of that. Saini, too with more white-ball cricket. But with Shardul and other guys around, they have got plenty of white ball seam bowling options. I'm very happy for Prasidh Krishna." Manjrekar said.
Mohammed Siraj played his only ODI game in Adelaide against Australia in 2019, giving away 76 runs in his 10 overs without picking any wicket.
With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami not around, many expected Siraj to be given a chance in the ODIs against England after his impressive stint in Test cricket. However, Team India decided to try out Prasidh Krishna instead.
"I'm excited with the kind of talent pool available"- Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar said he was excited about the number of quality options that the Indian team had to choose from. The former batsman pointed out how players who do not play are also exciting options that India might want to look at.
"I'm looking at Indian cricket, and I'm excited with the kind of talent pool available. We have seen some exciting T20 batting talent; in fact, guys who were not playing in the T20 XI for India, those guys were also exciting options that you would be keen to go to. And same with seam bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's comeback in the T20 series was significant." added Manjrekar.
It remains to be seen whether Team India will continue to experiment with their selection in the ongoing three-match ODI series against England.