India got the better of England in the second smei-final and booked a meeting with New Zealand in the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup that will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. While India displayed their batting prowess against the Three Lions, their bowling unit leaked a lot of runs.
India’s bowling woes were exposed and England almost capitalized on it, but the Men in Blue somehow dodged the bullet. Gautam Gambhir will not want to risk his chances of lifting another T20 World Cup and which is why he will look to address the bowling issues. The question that has been in almost everyone’s mind is that should India bring in Mohammed Siraj for the big game on Sunday.
The Gujarat Giants factor
The biggest factor to support Mohammed Siraj’s inclusion into the bowling attack is his familiarity with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Siraj plies his trade with the Gujarat Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and plays a lot of his cricket there. He is the king of the jungle in Ahmedabad and knows the ground and the pitch way better than anyone else in the Indian dugout.
Siraj has had to upgrade himself to keep up with the changes at the Gujarat Giants. Before joining the Ahmedabad based side, Siraj was a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) where he played on a batter friendly ground. But, playing in Ahmedabad is a different ball game altogether and Siraj has adapted to it really well and which is why he should be favoured against New Zealand.
Spinners continue to struggle
Indian spinners have continued to struggle big time at the T20 World Cup. Varun Chakravarthy was taken on remand by the England batters in the semi-final despite being one of the best performers for India in the competition. Axar Patel has also found it tough to record economical spells while Kuldeep Yadav has not had the chance to showcase his abilities.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj has already played in the competition and has displayed what he brings to the table. His inclusion in the side will create a deadly pace attack for India. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are three different types of wicket taking bowlers who can make an impact across different phases. Maybe ‘Miya Magic’ could be the missing piece of the puzzle for India to go all the way.
