Mohammed Siraj in for Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami has worked on his fitness quite a lot and was also looking a different person mentally given all that he has gone through off the field. First of all, Shami played all the five Tests in England without breaking down and against West Indies, too, he was brilliant, giving important breakthroughs at the top of the order.

However, one must not chance their luck unnecessarily and with the more important Australia tour to follow; Indian team management should give Shami a well-deserved break in the second Test and bring in a young gun, who has been in the news for quite some time.

That young fast bowler is Hyderabad’s own Mohammed Siraj. The 24-year-old fast bowler has already played 3 T20Is for India, taking three wickets, but has been in some terrific red-ball form off late. Apart from picking 10 wickets in a match against SA A for India A, he picked 11 wickets against the Australia A team including a career-best 8/59 in Bengaluru recently.   

He is in very good knick and that’s the right time to insert him in the middle and give him his big break on a ground that he is familiar with, his home ground. Siraj has the pace and the stamina to bowl long spells at good speeds and trouble the batsmen. All he needs is a chance to stake a claim for the upcoming tour of Down Under.