By Nikhil Bapat
Hyderabad: India pacer Mohammed Siraj will turn out for Hyderabad in their next Ranji Trophy game against Vidarbha beginning January 30. The development was confirmed to ETV Bharat by Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Secretary H Devaraj to ETV Bharat on Monday.
"He (Siraj) is playing," H Devaraj told ETV Bharat. The game will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Civil Lines in Nagpur.
Siraj, a right-arm medium pacer, was not picked for India's Champions Trophy squad or the ODIs against England, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh preferred for his effectiveness with the old ball and the extra dimension he adds to the lineup with his left-arm bowling.
Hyderabad are currently placed sixth in Group B after claiming just one win in five matches while two ended in a draw. Siraj had recently picked 20 wickets at an average of 31.15 across all five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy will see Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), KL Rahul (Karnataka) and Virat Kohli (Delhi) turn out for their respective state teams. Jadeja has already played the last Ranji Trophy match for Saurashtra and played a huge role in his side's victory over Delhi, where he took 12 wickets in the match including a 7-wicket haul in the second innings.
However, Rishabh Pant (Delhi), Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (both Mumbai) played for their respective Ranji Trophy sides and failed to impress with the bat while Shubman Gill's valiant century went in vain as Punjab suffered a massive in their penultimate match of the group stage against Karnataka.
The array of Indian players making themselves available for the Ranji Trophy comes after the BCCI apparently introduced a 10-point policy document making participation in domestic cricket mandatory, and non-compliance could impact international selection and central contract renewals.
