Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has questioned team management for backing Mohammed Siraj as a one-format player only. Siraj was dropped from the ODI team as the selectors and the team’s think tank thought he might not be effective with the old ball in the 50-over format.

Meanwhile, Siraj was initially named in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming UK tour but he was later replaced by Prasidh Krishna to manage his workload.

Siraj recently played in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan but he is not part of the ODI squad against the visitors.

Siraj was added to India’s T20 World Cup squad 2026 after Harshit Rana was ruled out with a knee injury but he played a solitary match against the USA.

Aakash Chopra said in a video on X, “Bahut jaldi humne unko one-format player bana ke choad diya (We made him a one-format player very soon). It was prematurely decided that he could not bowl with the older ball and should be dropped. He was out of favor for a long time, but his fate changed, and he was picked for the T20 World Cup, where he picked up three wickets in his first match, and now he is back again in the T20 reckoning.”

The renowned commentator reckons Siraj getting dropped from India’s Champions Trophy squad is 2025 wasn’t a fair call as he was doing a decent job in the 50-over format.

“There was a period when I genuinely felt that it was not right. You played him in all Tests, where everyone needs workload management, but didn’t think about him. Then, suddenly one day, you said he was no longer part of the ODI team, and then he was removed from T20Is as well; that was not right.

“He was not in the Champions Trophy team. I thought that was incorrect. His name should have been there. Maybe you can still understand for T20Is, but his name should be there in ODIs,” he added.

Siraj will be seen in action in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.