Dinesh Karthik Justifies Siraj’s Champions Trophy Snub, Backs Management’s Call Amidst Harshit Rana’s Inclusion
Dinesh Karthik, the former India wicket-keeper batter, recently shared his views on Mohammed Siraj’s exclusion from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. Despite Siraj’s impressive record of 71 wickets from 44 ODIs and his rise to the top of the ICC ODI bowler rankings, he was dropped from the lineup for the prestigious tournament. Siraj has been a consistent performer in ODIs since 2023, but Karthik believes the decision to exclude him is justified by the management.
“I understand why it’s disappointing, but it makes sense,” Karthik shared on Cricbuzz (via News18). “They’ve gone with Bumrah, Shami, and Arshdeep, who has been outstanding in limited-overs cricket.”
Karthik mentioned that Siraj might feel hurt by India’s decision to select Harshit Rana over him for the first two matches of the home bilateral series against England. However, he maintained his stance that, from a Champions Trophy perspective, it was still a reasonable decision.
“However, what might sting for Siraj is the selection of Harshit Rana over him in the initial matches of the England series. This could make Siraj feel like he deserved more, but it will likely motivate him to prove himself even further, as he has the skill set to do so. That said, for the Champions Trophy, I believe the decision made by Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma is a reasonable one.”
In a related development, Harshit Rana has been added to India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against England, replacing Siraj. India recently won the first T20I of the five-match series against England by seven wickets. The teams will also face off in a three-match ODI series following the T20I encounters.
Jasprit Bumrah will miss the first two ODI matches due to injury and workload management, paving the way for young pacer Harshit Rana to be included in the squad for these games. Rana, who made his international debut during the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy in the first Test at Perth, has now earned a spot in the limited-overs series against England. Despite his strong performances, Siraj has not been selected for the bilateral series either, with the team opting for fresh talent instead.
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