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With the five-match Test series between England India currently placed 2-1 in favour of the hosts, the visitors, Shubman Gill & Co. will hope to bounce back in style and level it, taking it into the decider, set to be played at the Kennington Oval in London from July 31. But prior to that, the Men in Blue are toiling hard in the nets to put their best foot forward in the fourth Test, set to be played from July 23 at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
As the action nears, on Monday, July 21, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, who is a certain pick for the fourth Test, appeared for the pre-match presser in Manchester. In a surprising turn of events, Siraj was inquired about the abandoned India Champions vs Pakistan Champions WCL 2025 clash, which was scheduled to be played on Sunday, July 20 in Birmingham.
I don’t know…: Mohammed Siraj surprised by IND vs PAK WCL 2025 clash; response goes viral
It is to be noted that the second edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) is underway in England. The defending champions, India, were set to play Pakistan in their tournament opener, but the organisers called off the match after several players pulled out due to the ongoing cross-border tensions, following the Pahalgam terror attacks. While Shikhar Dhawan went out loud to stand up against playing Pakistan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf and Irfan Pathan also reportedly pulled out of the game.
Although, the game was called off, it has stirred a major controversy. Amidst this, the Indian pacer, who is playing the five-match Test series against England, was also questioned on the same. A reporter went off-track and questioned the pacer on his views on the ongoing controversy. Although, Siraj was visibly dumbfounded on hearing this and quickly replied, “I don’t know.”
While the 31-year-old looked uncomfortable, the journalist continued and went on to ask him if India will play Pakistan in ICC events to which the pacer replied, “I don’t know what to say.” This comes at a stage where the talks around the Asia Cup 2025 are hitting the roof and the tournament’s future looks in jeopardy. However, India and Pakistan are set to play against each other in the 2025 Women’s World Cup and the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.
India’s updated squad for fourth Test
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj
