Mohammed Siraj omitted from India XI for second ODI vs West Indies in Guwahati

Mohammed Siraj was left out of India’s playing XI for the second ODI against West Indies at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, September 30, the second game of the three-match series.

The series, seen as preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, followed India’s eight-wicket victory in the opening match; Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first. India handed an ODI debut to Auqib Nabi for the game, with Nabi replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy after Nitish was described as having looked poor with the ball in the last game.

Despite a below-par bowling display in the opener, Mohammed Siraj again missed selection for the XI; he had been expected to lead India’s pace attack in the series but was not picked for the first two games. Observers have linked Siraj’s absence to recent form, noting he looked slightly off-colour in the last series and appeared to have lost some pace, but there has been no official statement from the Indian team confirming that as the reason for his omission.

India’s bowling unit for the match comprised Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Auqib Nabi and Kuldeep Yadav, with Ravindra Jadeja and Naman Dhir also listed as bowling options. The selection choices provide the team management an opportunity to test different players and combinations ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

With a long ODI season ahead, the selectors have indicated rotation and experimentation with personnel could be part of the plan, allowing different bowlers opportunities across matches. There is no formal confirmation linking Siraj’s non-selection to a single cause, and more clarity on the rationale was expected to come from the team management after the match.

India remain 1-0 up in the three-match series and have one match still to play against West Indies; Siraj’s return to the playing XI, the selectors said, could depend on the team’s combination, workload and requirements for that remaining fixture.