India pacer Mohammed Siraj has been rested for the ODIs against the West Indies as a precautionary measure due to a sore ankle, the BCCI said on Thursday. Siraj, who led the pace attack with aplomb in the Tests against the West Indies in the absence of seniors such as Mohammed Shami, flew back with the rest of the Test returnees — Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat and Navdeep Saini — after India’s 1-0 series win. “Mohd. Siraj has been released from Team India’s ODI squad ahead of the three-match series against the West Indies,” a BCCI said. “The right-arm pacer has a sore ankle and as a precautionary measure has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team,” the release added. India have not named a replacement for Siraj for the three-match ODI series. Siraj played in both the Tests against the West Indies and claimed a five-for (5/60) in the second match in Trinidad. In Siraj’s absence, India’s pace attacks now comprises Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, and uncapped (in ODIs) Mukesh Kumar. “Siraj has been continuously playing since the IPL. Since then he has bowled in three successive Tests. He will now directly join the Asia Cup camp in NCA for tune up to World Cup,” a BCCI source said on Thursday.
As another report said, none of the first-team regulars, who are in the scheme of things for the World Cup, will be travelling to Ireland for a three-match T20I
series.
