Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik and Ravindra Jadeja Released from Duleep Trophy Squads

Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will miss the first round matches of the Duleep Trophy. While Siraj and Malik are yet to recover from an illness, Jadeja has been given an extended period of rest by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) national selection committee.

The BCCI selection committee has named Navdeep Saini and Gaurav Yadav as replacements for Siraj and Malik.

Gaurav Yadav, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, plays for Puducherry in the Indian domestic circuit. He had a scintillating last season where the bowler took 41 wickets in seven matches in the Ranji Trophy last season. He was the second highest wicket-taker in the country’s premier domestic competition.

The first round of the Duleep Trophy, comprising two matches, will be held from September 5 to September 8 in Bengaluru and Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

India A and India B will face off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru while India C and India D will play their first Duleep Trophy match at the Rural Development Trust Stadium A in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

Siraj and Malik’s last competitive assignment was India’s tour of Sri Lanka. The BCCI, in a media statement, confirmed the two fast bowlers’ unavailability. “Both Siraj and Malik are suffering from an illness and are not expected to be fit in time for their Duleep Trophy fixtures,” the BCCI said.

The release added that Jadeja has also been released from the India B squad. “All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also been released from the Team B squad,” the media release added.

Jadeja’s last assignment in Indian colours was the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in the West Indies. Jadeja, along with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma called it a day from the T20 format after India’s T20 World Cup win. He was rested from India’s ODI series against Sri Lanka last month.