Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has publicly addressed his exclusion from Indiarsquos 2025 Champions Trophy squad rejecting captain Rohit Sharmarsquos claim that his ldquoineffectiveness with the old ballrdquo influenced the decision. Notably Siraj a consistent performer across formats since 2023 was replaced by Harshit Rana after Jasprit Bumrahrsquos injury. Stats vs Selectorsrsquo Stance At a pre-match IPL 2025 press conference Siraj countered Rohitrsquos remarks with data stating that he had taken the most wickets with the old ball among the worldrsquos top 10 fast bowlers in the past year with a low economy. Despite a recent dip in form including a lackluster final Test against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Siraj highlighted his strong comeback in the same series taking 20 wickets overall. Rohit had defended the snub stating Sirajrsquos impact reduces without the new ball. We prioritized seamers fulfilling specific roles. He also emphasized squad balance adding We needed all-rounders. Itrsquos unfortunate but we had no choice. ALSO READIndia to host ICC World Cup 2025 in September Visakhapatnam leading among tentative list of venues Focus on IPL and Future Tours Siraj now with the Gujarat Titans after eight seasons at Royal Challengers Bengaluru remains pragmatic. Selection isnrsquot in my hands. Irsquom focusing on IPL and winning for my team he said along the lines. Further the 31-year-old revealed he used his break to refine his bowling working on slower deliveries and yorkers. While eyeing Indiarsquos upcoming England Test series and Asia Cup 2025 Siraj stressed that while those tours are on my mind his priority was performing in the IPL.