"Unfair for Siraj!"- Fans furious as India bench Mohammed Siraj again for 2nd IND vs SL 2022 Test
India have won the toss and have elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the pink ball Test in Bengaluru. Skipper Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in opting to bat as that has been the strength of this Indian team.
There was a lot of talk about what kind of combination the hosts would go in with for the pink-ball Test. Many believed India would play three pacers as the pink ball historically has supported the quicks.
However, the hosts have gone in with a three-pronged spin attack, with left-arm spinner Axar Patel replacing off-spinner Jayant Yadav.
Fans on Twitter were excited to see Axar back in the playing XI, but some also felt that it was a bit harsh on fast bowler Mohammed Siraj to be left out again. Here are some of the reactions:
Axar Patel over Mohd. Siraj???
This match will get over anyway inside 3 days so why not 3 pacers and 2 spinners to rattle Sri Lankans with Pace?? Are we dependent on 3 spinners only in home tests?? What's the use of Pace battery then?
#INDvsSL @WeirdlyGripping #CricketTwitter
India activated cheat code..
Jadeja + Axar Patel + Ashwin
Indian conditions
Batting First
Just what doctor's ordered !!
#INDvsSL
#PinkBallTest #CricketTwitter
@BCCI
Siraj should have been released from bio bubble at least would have joined the RCB event .
This team and it's effort to come around as the nicest guys to ever exist in front of media.
y'day they said Kuldeep is not dropped but rested out of bubble,But they've kept Siraj in bubble for more than 1 month now and he got to play just 1 T20 iirc. Destroying his top form.
RSS agent and Rohit do not rate Siraj, don't they... Without giving chances how will he improve? Do you expect him to perform directly overseas like magic? If you are not letting him play at least should let go off him from bubble.
Don't know why Rohit Sharma & Rahul Dravid duo benching Siraj.!The way he make a turnaround in his career from the 2020 IPL he should play atleast one match in the series.!
still no siraj in the team. they had him in the squad for the whole series only for him to play ONE match, a dead rubber t20 match. they could’ve let him out of the bio bubble like they did with kuldeep. i just want to say…he deserves better.
The way Siraj has been consistently mistreated under Rohit has been pathetic. 4 months in bubble and all he gets is useless ODIs versus West Indies. All the talk about workload management is just a gimmick. Workload management for Pant but not Siraj.
Unfair for siraj. Match is against SL still he is on bench, we all know why Rohit not playing him, atleast release him
I feel Siraj haven't been handled well in this new era of Indian Team, be it red ball cricket or the white ball season post the WI ODI series.
Khilana hi nahi tha toh atleast bio bubble break hi de dete.
#CricketTwitter
India speak so much about giving opportunities but the buck stops when it comes to Mo Siraj. Feel very bad for him.
Injury-hit Sri Lanka face a stern test against India
Sri Lanka had misread the conditions in Mohali and had played three seamers and just one specialist spinner. However, they have decided to play an extra spinner this time in Praveen Jayawickrama who replaces the injured Lahiru Kumara.
In-form batter Pathum Nissanka's absence due to injury is a huge blow for the visitors. However, they will be hopeful that his replacement Kusal Mendis will be able to find his feet quickly.
India, on the other hand, have no such issues in their batting department as the likes of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer have got another opportunity in the middle-order. They will be keen to score big and cement their place in the Test team.
The hosts demolished England within two days of the last pink ball Test in Ahmedabad. With a similar bowling combination this time around, Rohit Sharma and his men will be keen on a clean sweep. The visitors will need to play out of their skins if they are to salvage a positive result from this game.