Siraj has bowled 120 overs across four competitive matches since August, which is a thin workload for a first-choice Test seamer, yet India should still pick him for the 19 November opener at the Basin Reserve. He is in the 16-man squad, and three points support him: experience, a strong record away from home and a productive week in Christchurch. Selectors must weigh reputation against sharpness. The doubts are about rhythm, not ability. The poor spells are real, but the alternatives carry less proof.
His Sri Lanka trip brought four wickets at 25.75, yet he sent down only 44 overs in two Tests, with 15 of those at Colombo. Those numbers explain why questions have followed him since the tour began. The final of the Duleep Trophy, held in Chennai, went worse: 41 overs cost 187 runs for a single wicket. Siraj put it down to a two-month layoff and described himself as a rhythm bowler.
Mohammed Shami , East Zone’s two-wicket man in that final, noticed the rhythm problem in the first innings and advised Siraj to return to fundamentals. The bowler looked sharper late in the game, and that improvement is what selectors will hope continues.
Experience is his strongest argument. Across 48 Tests, he has 144 wickets at 29.6, and 108 of them arrived in 29 matches played outside India, at 29.81. Every one of his five five-wicket hauls came abroad, which suits a trip to New Zealand. For a bowler judged on how he performs away, that is a strong foundation.
Set against the other quicks, the gap is lopsided. Akash Deep averages 35.79 after ten Tests, Prasidh Krishna took 14 wickets at 37.07 in England during 2025, and Anshul Kamboj has a single Test wicket costing 89 runs. The table lays the numbers out together.
The frontline seamers are Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh, Akash Deep and Kamboj, and the experience gap between them is wide. Siraj has played 48 Tests against Akash Deep’s ten and Kamboj’s one, that single appearance being a debut at Old Trafford in which he took 1 for 89.
A hamstring injury kept Prasidh out of the ODIs, but he came back for India A at Lincoln and on 8 November he removed both New Zealand A openers. Akash Deep, meanwhile, delivered 23 overs at Hagley Oval without a wicket, so neither challenger has made a decisive claim. Selection for the Tests therefore becomes a question of who looks readiest, not who has the best long record.
The previous Test at the ground, between New Zealand and West Indies last December, was over inside three days. The pitch was light green and offered pace, bounce and some lateral movement, and home seamers collected 17 of the 20 wickets, with Jacob Duffy taking 5 for 38 to decide it.
Surfaces like that favour bowlers who keep landing the ball on a good length. Siraj managed that at Hagley Oval, the venue for the second Test, taking 4 for 118 from 35 overs with the Kookaburra ball. It was a heavy workload, and it is the closest he has come to Test preparation.
August found Siraj leading the attack because Bumrah was injured. This time the new ball can be shared with Bumrah, and Prasidh and Akash Deep are left to fight over the third seamer’s slot. Ravi Shastri sees Kamboj as a middle-overs workhorse, a view supported by a pair of wickets in both of the opening ODIs.
The XI has not been announced, which makes this a judgement call and not a confirmed selection. Even so, Siraj still looks the best bet among the five to keep his place, since the Mohammed Siraj Wellington Test spot rests on proven away form. On a quick, seaming surface at the Basin Reserve, that experience is the safer bet.
Would you pick Siraj’s away record over Prasidh’s recent form at the Basin Reserve? Argue your case in the comments.
Has Siraj been named in India’s squad for the New Zealand Tests?
Yes, he is among the 16 players named. Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah are the other frontline seamers who travel with him.
Why has Siraj missed the one-day series against New Zealand?
He went to India A for a four-day match in Christchurch. That game served as Test preparation, and the teams for the final pair of ODIs were still unannounced when this was written.
What is the start date of the first Test at Wellington?
The Basin Reserve hosts the opener, with play beginning on 19 November. A finish is pencilled in for 23 November, and Hagley Oval in Christchurch hosts the second Test.
Which seamers did India pick for the New Zealand Tests?
The specialist quicks are Siraj, Bumrah, Kamboj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna. Nitish Kumar Reddy, an all-rounder, also travels with the squad and adds a further seam option.
How has Siraj bowled in Tests outside India?
He has 108 wickets from 29 Tests abroad. The average is 29.81, with every one of his five-wicket innings coming overseas, which anchors the case for picking him.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
