Mohammed Siraj Snub In IND vs WI 1st ODI Leads To Fan Anger

Mohammed Siraj not in India Playing XI [Source: X and AFP]The India Playing XI for the 1st ODI against West Indies is out, and it misses a major inclusion. Mohammed Siraj, the workhorse of the team, was excluded from the setup while Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Reddy were included.The 32-year-old, who last played an ODI match in January 2026, is having his stock down, as per the India team management, since they are not pushing him for any recent ODI encounters, and it only enraged the internet.Shubman Gill and Gambhir decide against Mohammed SirajInterestingly enough, Mohammed Siraj has been a solid performer in the ODI format. In his last appearance against New Zealand, Siraj produced three wickets from three innings while bowling at an economy rate of 4.59. He also scalped seven wickets from just three innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. However, the Gautam Gambhir- and Shubman Gill-led team management is consistently ignoring him for a playing XI call-up.India's Playing XI for 1st ODI against West Indies: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul (wk), Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh KrishnaAlso Read- Ramandeep Singh Ditches Virat Kohli In GOAT Debate For This PlayerInternet curses Gill and Gambhir for Mohammed Siraj’s exclusionThe internet was particularly angry about this decision, as fans were confused and baffled by why Mohammed Siraj has been consistently ignored since the New Zealand ODI series, questioning the inclusion of Prasidh Krishna and fresh face Gurnoor Brar. Although both of these bowlers have produced significant numbers for the team, Siraj's exclusion, now seems like a strategic decision by the management rather than a workload or injury concern that the cricketer might have been managing.In fact, Naman Dhir's debut inclusion was also criticised because he would be playing at No. 8 as an all-rounder, but he is mostly used as a batter. Also, Naman is not a finisher, as he is primarily known for having responsibilities in the middle order. This poor streak of decisions has seen Siraj sit out of yet another one-day opportunity as the Shubman Gill-led Men in Blue team is slowly shaping its roadmap for the 2027 World Cup.Let's take a look at how the internet reacted to Siraj's exclusion from India's Playing XI:Rohit Juglan @rohitjuglan No Siraj - very surprising with a Naman Debut Breaking his rhythm is the last thing “Poor Team selection No Siraj No Auqib Nabi?? Run Machines: Gurnoor and Prasidh playing Poor Captain Poor Coach God Bless ICT”- @DrKhalidOmerAlam @SHANE_ALAM08 @CricCrazyJohns No siraj in playing 11 😢 Shame on GG "POOR PLANNING BY SHUBMAN GILL AND GAUTAM GAMBHIR:- No Mohammed Siraj in playing11.- Naman Dhir playing at no. 8 as all-rounder for mostly batting."- @CricketCentrl𝚅𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚗¹⁸ @varunx18 Prasidh krishna & Gurnoor Brar over DSP Siraj, if this isn't GT quota then what is this? 🤡 RAAKA @Chaitanya1AA @vikrantgupta73 Siraj is not playing is joke of the decade "Siraj ka odi career bhi ovari-da I'm not seeing him playing wc next year"- @CricwormAnnaAarav @AARAVOJHA18 pata nahi kya brar aur prasidh meh dikta hai gill aur gambhir ko joh siraj meh nahi Chayan Jain @ChayanJain22 @ashwinravi99 Even bigger question if it's a final lap before WC'27 then why are you benching Siraj🤔 Why don't we Give him all practice 🤔 bee🐾 @beelovescrick Naman dhir at 7 gamnhir has lost it man 😭 robbed aqueeb nabi and siraj. We are doomed in Wc #Indvswi More to follow...