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Siraj to join India's ODI squad in Wellington after India A duty in Lincoln
The fast bowler was not in Auckland for the series opener because he was playing for India A against New Zealand A, and the team management has asked him to link up before the second ODI on 7 November.
Key points
- Mohammed Siraj will join the ODI squad in Wellington.
- He missed Auckland while playing for India A in Lincoln.
- Prasidh Krishna is ruled out of the ODI series with a hamstring injury.
Mohammed Siraj will join India’s one-day squad in Wellington ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand on 7 November, after missing the series opener in Auckland while on duty with India A.
The fast bowler was not with the ODI group at Eden Park on Wednesday, where India won the rain-hit first match by five wickets. He was instead playing the second four-day game for India A against New Zealand A in Lincoln, which ended on Tuesday. That left him no way to attend the senior squad’s nets on the eve of the opener, and the team management asked him to meet up with the group in Wellington instead.
Siraj’s route to Lincoln began with an injury to Prasidh Krishna. The BCCI’s medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru decided Prasidh needed more time to recover from a hamstring problem. In a release on 30 October, the board said Prasidh “is ruled out of the ODI series” and “will need additional time to build up the workload required to be ready for matches”. It added that Siraj “will join the India A squad for the second four-day game, starting October 31, 2026, against New Zealand A.”
Prasidh is now set to play India A’s third and final four-day game, subject to clearing a return-to-play assessment, so he gets match time before the Test series.
Siraj’s absence from Auckland drew criticism. Former India fast bowler Dodda Ganesh wrote on X: “This complete sidelining of Siraj from the ODIs is inexplicable.”
India lead the five-match series 1-0. The two Tests that follow carry more weight, with India needing to win them to stay in the race for the World Test Championship final.