“He was at the top of the tree in 2023” – Irfan Pathan analyzes Team India pacer’s standing in one-day cricket amid NZ vs IND 2026 ODIs

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has admitted that Mohammed Siraj has fallen behind in the pecking order in India’s ODI team because of India’s preference for bowlers who can bat. He, however, added that the senior pacer cannot be completely written off particularly keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind.

Siraj was not picked in India’s playing XI for the first ODI against New Zealand at the Eden Park in Auckland on November 4. Despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, the Indian management picked inexperienced bowlers like Aaqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj over Siraj due to their ability to bat.

During an interaction on Cricinfo, Pathan shared his thoughts on Siraj’s situation in the one-day team and said:

“His main job is to get wickets. He was at the top of the tree in 2023, talking about ICC rankings. And suddenly things fell out and he went out of the favour. As far as the one day cricket is concerned, right now he’s slightly behind, but he will be competing with pure bowlers rather than bowlers who can bat.

“The whole topic of him not bowling well with the older ball, which has gone against him, that should not be the case. When he was bowling with the new ball, he was taking regular wickets. Whenever the time came with the old ball, he was doing his work as far as performances were concerned,” the former India all-rounder added.

Since the start of 2026, Siraj has played four ODIs in which he has claimed four wickets at an average of 44 and an economy rate of 5.02.

“If I’m the selector, I’ll be talking to Siraj” – Pathan on importance of communication

While continuing the discussion on Siraj, Pathan opined that he is fine with youngsters getting more opportunities right now. However, he urged the selectors to communicate the plan of action clearly with Siraj. He said:

“Right now, the team management is giving a lot of opportunity to youngsters. I’m okay with that as long as you are communicating very clearly with the senior guy like Mohammed Siraj. And if I’m the selector, I’ll be talking to Siraj, telling him to be ready mentally.”

Siraj has featured in 51 ODIs so far and has claimed 77 wickets at an average of 25.67 and an economy rate of 5.15, with one five-fer and two four-fers.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert