Mohammed Siraj rested for West Indies ODIs, flies back home with Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin

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Mohammed Siraj has been rested from the 3-match ODI series against West Indies which starts in Barbados on Thursday, July 27. The 29-year-old, who led the Indian pace attack in the preceding 2-Test series, has been playing non-stop cricket since the beginning of the year.

Siraj played a crucial role for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2023 before flying to England for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.

The right-arm fast bowler picked five wickets including a four-wicket haul in the WTC final. In the West Indies Tests, he picked seven wickets in two matches including a career best figures of 5/60 in the first innings of the second Test. The performances helped him grab his maiden Player of the Series award.

In the absence of Siraj, Shardul Thakur becomes the leader of the pacer attack which includes Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik and Mukesh Kumar. Mohammed Shami was rested for the entire West Indies tour. India are unlikely to seek a replacement for Siraj as Hardik Pandya is also part of the squad and was seen bowling in the nets.

Siraj was not named in the upcoming squad for the five-match T20I series against the hosts. India have a busy season ahead from August end. The Asia Cup 2023 starts from August 30 before a three-match bilateral ODI series against Australia from September 22.

The World Cup 2023 starts from October 5. India will play their first match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. Considering the jam-packed schedule, giving Siraj a much-needed break for the need of hour.