Mohammed Siraj has been approved as a replacement for Harshit Rana after the all-rounder picked up an injury during the warm-up game against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, when he bowled just one over before walking off the field.
The senior pacer joined the squad late on Friday.
It was initially thought to be a niggle as Harshit hobbled off the ground during the warm-up, but it developed into a major worry the day after and the team management didn’t wish to take any chances following medical consultations.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav said at a news conference that Harshit’s injury “doesn’t look good”, hours before he was ruled out on Friday.
“Don’t worry, we have 11 players for tomorrow,” Surya quipped at a news conference in the afternoon. “But it’s a big blow obviously because you make a squad of 15 players with a lot of combinations in mind. So we made it with the same thought.
“And if he is not available for us, then we will set other combinations. But we have enough players, enough combinations, which we can make against all the teams for this tournament.”
Siraj played three matches during the Rohit Sharma-led team’s World Cup triumph in 2024. Surya had made it clear that if Harshit was ruled out, they would look for a replacement who preferably bats, but that would not be a necessary factor.
The pacer was a handy option with the bat at No. 8, but Siraj won’t be a novice either.
“We will see which fast bowlers have done really well for the last one or two years,” Surya said. “...there is no hard-and-fast rule that he has to bat. Because if you are expecting someone at No. 9 or 10 to come and hit a six, then what do you have the top eight for? We do have a few options, but we will pick the best one.”
Siraj will form a good combination with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. The other pace options are all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The bowlers, too, went through long batting sessions at nets on Friday. It is expected that India could play Axar Patel at No. 8 with Bumrah and Arshdeep as the two pacers.
