In the most recent series (against England), Siraj bowled quite well. The team would have appeared even more formidable if he had been taken. It would have appeared that the bowling unit was more powerful. “I think that Siraj’s X-factor might be a little lost,” Harbhajan posted on his YouTube page.
With a number of well-known personalities absent from the 15-member roster chosen by the All India Men’s Senior Selection Committee, which is directed by Ajit Agarkar, India’s selection for the 2025 Asia Cup has generated controversy. Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also expressed his opinions about the team’s selection, pointing out that a number of names that should have been included are missing.
The main topic of discussion has been the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, who made 604 runs in the 2025 season and just guided his IPL team, the Punjab Kings, to the finals. Mohammed Siraj’s “X-factor” will be missed even more by the Men in Blue, Harbhajan emphasised. With 23 wickets at the end of the just finished England tour, Siraj was India’s hero with the ball. Harbhajan thinks he could have performed just as well in the continental competition.
“In my opinion, Mohammed Siraj’s name ought to have been on the roster.
Since India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, the right-arm pacer has not been a part of the team’s T20I lineup. Despite not playing in the shortest format, he has been a key member of the Test team, taking over 20 wickets apiece in the five-match away series against England and Australia. He even finished as the series’ top wicket-taker against England.
Third pacer Harshit Rana was selected.
Siraj has just been excluded from India’s white-ball ambitions, missing out on the Champions Trophy 2025 despite his success in the red-ball format. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana are the three specialist seamers the selectors have chosen for the Asia Cup, with Hardik Pandya offering an extra speed option.
Although Bumrah’s talent is undeniable and Arshdeep is India’s all-time top wicket-taker in Twenty20 Internationals, Rana’s inclusion has drawn criticism. The youthful pacer is under pressure to defend his selection because of his lack of international experience. Notably, the sole pacer in the reserves is Prasidh Krishna, who took 25 wickets to win the Purple Cap in the 2025 Indian Premier League. Siraj also had a respectable IPL season, playing for the Gujarat Titans (GT) with Krishna and taking 16 wickets in the end.
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