Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has expressed his surprise over pacer Mohammed Siraj’s exclusion from India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee , but since then, it has . The legendary spinner believes that Siraj’s presence could have made the team look even stronger.
Siraj, who was the main architect in India securing a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, has also delivered promising performances in limited-overs cricket. In T20Is, he has taken 14 wickets from 16 matches with an economy rate of 7.79. The pacer was also effective in his debut season for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, claiming 16 wickets in 15 matches, delivering a total of 151 dot balls during the period.
“I feel that Mohammed Siraj’s name should have been in the team. Siraj bowled very well in the recent series (against England). If he had been taken, the team would have looked even stronger. The bowling unit would have seemed stronger. I feel that the X-factor that Siraj brings might be somewhat missed,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Pitches in the UAE are expected to turn and grip, with pacers not playing that big a role in the upcoming tournament. In fact, India boasts of a well-rounded pace attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya as an additional pace option, and it is safe to say that Siraj may have been rested after a tiring England Test series.
Siraj last played for India when the team toured Sri Lanka in July 2024. Interestingly, Prasidh Krishna, who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2025 with 25 wickets, has been named amongst the reserves, while Harshit Rana has been given a nod in the named squad.
India will begin their Asia Cup campaign on September 10 against the UAE in the opening Group A match.
India’s squad for Asia Cup
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel