Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj could be on his way back to India's ODI team, and signs of that are emerging from the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Siraj has been included in the Hyderabad squad ahead of the fifth round of the tournament, which begins on January 3. He is set to play alongside Tilak Varma, who will lead the team.
Siraj and Tilak set to play
Hyderabad will face Chandigarh on January 3, with Tilak Varma captaining the side in place of CV Milind. It is also expected that Siraj will feature in Hyderabad's January 8 match against Jammu and Kashmir. Siraj playing two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is seen as a strong indication that selectors are closely tracking him for a possible return to the ODI setup.
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Siraj last played an ODI on October 25 against Australia in Sydney. He was not picked for the ODI series against South Africa and also missed out on selection for the Champions Trophy. Despite this, his ODI record remains impressive, with 73 wickets in 46 innings, including a best performance of six wickets for 21 runs.
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Other big names in action
Apart from Siraj and Tilak Varma, several other star players will also feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy will represent Tamil Nadu, while Shubman Gill will turn out for Punjab. This will be Gill's first match since being dropped from India's T20 World Cup squad. Punjab is set to play against Sikkim, where Gill is expected to play a key role with the bat.
