Aakash Chopra: Mohammed Siraj unfairly tagged as one-format player

Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes Mohammed Siraj was unfairly tagged as a specialist for just one format early in his international career, insisting the fast bowler has repeatedly shown he can be effective across formats.

Siraj's impressive performances in franchise cricket for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and later Gujarat Titans helped him force his way back into India's white-ball plans. The right-arm pacer was included in India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup and made an immediate impact whenever opportunities came his way.

Speaking in a video shared on X, Chopra said the perception surrounding Siraj had been formed too quickly and did not accurately reflect his abilities.

"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," Chopra said.

The former opener also questioned some of the decisions made regarding Siraj's place in India's white-ball setup over the past couple of years. Chopra felt the pacer was treated harshly despite regularly shouldering responsibilities in the Test side.

"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," Chopra said.

Chopra was particularly critical of Siraj's omission from India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. While he acknowledged there could be discussions around Siraj's place in the T20I setup, he maintained that the fast bowler had done enough to warrant a spot in the ODI side.

"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 was recently rested for India's ODI series against Afghanistan, with Prasidh Krishna named as his replacement. However, Chopra's comments underline the belief that the Hyderabad pacer remains a valuable asset in India's white-ball plans and deserves greater recognition for his performances beyond the Test arena.