Mohammed Siraj has been released from the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against West Indies, with the BCCI medical team advising rest for the pacer after he complained of a sore ankle. 

Siraj, fresh off a Player of the Match performance in the second Test, was due to take up his role as lead pacer of the Indian bowling unit, but he will not feature in the three ODIs and is understood to have already flown out of the Caribbean islands. 

After topping RCB’s wicket-takers chart with 19 scalps from 14 matches, Siraj was also involved in the World Test Championship final against Australia, before also flying out to the West Indies for the two-match Test series. 

The decision to rest Siraj fits into the narrative of needing to manage his workload, with the star pacer certain to play a massive role in the lead-up to the home World Cup in October. 

India will play the Asia Cup beginning on August 31 and will follow it up with a three-match ODI series against Australia, which will serve as proper match practice ahead of the global event. 

BCCI have decided not to name a replacement player in Siraj’s absence, with Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, and Mukesh Kumar as the pacers in the squad, apart from Hardik Pandya too.