IND vs ENG 2024: Don’t play Mohammed Siraj if you aren’t using him: Parthiv Patel

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel has suggested the team management not to play Mohammed Siraj if captain Rohit Sharma is not using him enough. Siraj bowled only 11 overs in the opening Test match against England at his home ground in Hyderabad and also went wicketless.

The right-arm pacer bowled four overs in the first innings and conceded 28 runs whereas he bowled a total of seven overs in the second essay. Siraj didn’t have the rub of the green on his side as KL Rahul dropped an easy catch of Ollie Pope when he was on 186.

Siraj has scalped 68 wickets in 24 Test matches at an average of 28.99 and he is known to bowl his heart out whenever he is given the ball.

Patel wants India to play an extra batter in place of Mohammed Siraj as he feels the three spinners should do the job for the hosts. England also played with a solitary fast bowler in Mark Wood in the opening Test match.

“There is no doubt that 3 spinners are enough, but I have a different perspective. You have used Siraj for only 6 or 7 overs throughout the Test match. Axar Patel played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav due to his batting abilities, as mentioned by Rohit Sharma before the Test match. If you need variety, you could pick Kuldeep ahead of Axar,” Parthiv told Jio Cinema.

“And if you are not using Siraj much, then why not play an extra pure batter. So, you will have three types of bowlers in Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep, and the extra batter will add depth to the batting. And there’s no point playing someone if you are going to give him only 7 overs,” he added.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out of the second Test match. While Rahul has complained of right quadriceps pain, Jadeja has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been added to India’s Test squad.

The second Test match between India and England will be played at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam from 2nd February.