Mohammed Siraj, a premier fast bowler for the Indian cricket team, is in a tricky spot. He’s currently in Grade A of the BCCI’s central contracts. This means he’s considered one of the top players. However, things might change. Because he was not picked for the Champions Trophy squad, there’s a chance he could be moved down to a lower grade.
The main reason for this is how the BCCI decides who gets which contract grade. They want players who do well in all three formats of cricket: Test matches, ODIs (One Day Internationals), and T20Is (Twenty20 Internationals). Siraj has been doing very well in Test matches. But in ODIs and T20Is, his performance has not been as strong.
To understand this better, let’s look at the current contract list. Grade A has six players: R Ashwin, Shami, Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya. Now, Ashwin has retired. Also, Rahul and Gill might be moved up to Grade A+. Pandya and Shami are likely to stay where they are. This leaves Siraj’s spot in question.
Mohammed Siraj did very well in Test matches last year. He took 39 wickets in 27 innings. This means he got many batsmen out. He was one of India’s most used bowlers in Test matches. However, there were some concerns. People said he didn’t support Jasprit Bumrah enough during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Also, after some not-so-good performances in Australia, he was dropped from the ODI team for the series against England and the Champions Trophy.
When we look at his ODI and T20I performances in 2024, the numbers are not very good. He only took 3 wickets in 3 ODI games and 2 wickets in 6 T20I games. This is why there’s a chance he might be moved down the contract list.
In other words, while Siraj is a strong Test bowler, his recent white-ball performances are concerning to the board. The board looks at the players overall performance in all formats. Because of this, his spot in the “A” grade is not guaranteed.
Furthermore, the BCCI gives out central contracts after big tournaments. So, we will know Siraj’s new contract grade after the Champions Trophy.
Moreover, Siraj’s future in white-ball cricket is uncertain. He will probably still play Test matches. But whether he will play ODIs and T20Is regularly is unclear. The fact that Arshdeep and Rana were picked ahead of him for the champions trophy is a huge indicator of his current standing in white ball formats.
To summarize, Siraj’s Test performance is good. But his ODI and T20I performances are not strong. Because of this, he might be moved down from Grade A in the BCCI’s central contracts. Everyone is waiting to see what the BCCI decides after the Champions Trophy. It will be interesting to see if Siraj can bounce back and improve his white-ball performance in the future.
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