Mohammed Siraj left out as West Indies reach 85/0 after Gill opts to bowl in 1st IND vs WI ODI

India and West Indies met in the first ODI of their three-match series at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, 2026, with Shubman Gill winning the toss and electing to bowl. The match was underway when reports highlighted India’s decision to omit Mohammed Siraj from the XI.

This was only the third ODI to be played at the Trivandrum venue. India handed a debut cap to Naman Dhir and named Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as their top three, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped and Ruturaj Gaikwad promoted to No. 4 in Shreyas Iyer’s absence; Iyer is with the T20I side at the Asian Games 2026 alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan. The selected pace options were Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna, backed by pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Mohammed Siraj was omitted from the side, a move that surprised many fans.

India’s decision to bowl first on what was described as a pretty flat deck did not produce the desired early breakthroughs. Both West Indian openers started positively, and observers reported the Indian pace unit struggled with line and length, coming under pressure and failing to execute plans during the opening phase.

The scoreboard reflected the West Indies’ strong start: after the end of the first powerplay of ten overs, West Indies had reached 85/0. The match report suggested Mohammed Siraj might have been a better bowling option given the circumstances on the day.

Statistical context on Siraj cited in the report shows he has taken nine wickets in six matches against West Indies at an average of 23.33 and an economy rate of 4.28. The article also stated that Siraj has faced similar situations across formats and has delivered in those moments.

The piece concluded that sitting Siraj out in the first game seemed a tactical failure by India and management. Will India have to pay for it? The time will tell.