Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj’s inclusion in the squads for all five ODIs and the two Tests against New Zealand is because he gets better the more he bowls as well. On October 16, the BCCI announced the squads for both formats, with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul missing the final two ODIs to prepare for the red-ball series as well.

Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Ash ki Baat), he said: “Perhaps Siraj is also the kind of cricketer who gets better the more he bowls. We have always seen that, no matter how tired he is, even towards the end of a series, he somehow manages to find something extra in the tank. So, I think Siraj might have had a conversation with them about that. That’s what I’m guessing, looking at the squad. He might have said that he wants continuity. Also, he hasn’t played that much cricket. Just as Bumrah hasn’t played a lot, Siraj hasn’t played much either. He hasn’t had a heavy workload.”

However, Ravichandran Ashwin also suggested that Anshul Kamboj was picked ahead of Gurnoor Brar because New Zealand
conditions are better suited to his bowling as well.

READ HERE: “He is not here for the milestones” – Hanuma Vihari on Virat Kohli

“Gurnoor Brar’s place has gone to Anshul Kamboj. Perhaps this is just my thinking, and I could be wrong, but New Zealand conditions are different from Australian and South African conditions. The ball does not bounce as steeply here, and there is not as much pace. The pitches offer a bit of seam movement, where you need to bowl fuller lengths and get the ball to swing. So, maybe the team management and selectors thought that Anshul Kamboj’s bowling length would be well suited to Test matches in New Zealand. Perhaps that is why they picked him,” he added.

“When Anshul Kamboj last played a Test in England, he seemed a touch below his best. He was bowling at a slower pace, and he did not seem to have much speed, around 124-125. But, his seam presentation is good, and he can generate some swing. However, with Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah already in the team, I think Anshul Kamboj is just a backup seam bowler,” he concluded.