"These are topi masters"- Sreesanth slams Mohammed Siraj's critics after off-day during IND vs AFG 2023 World Cup match

Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth was disappointed to see some in the cricketing fraternity question Mohammed Siraj after an off-day with the ball against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup game in Delhi on Wednesday.

Siraj ended up being a bit expensive, conceding 76 runs in his 10 overs and failing to pick a wicket in the powerplay for the second game in a row. However, the former cricketer was a bit baffled to see some talk about Mohammed Shami potentially replacing Siraj.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Sreesanth explained the importance of backing whatever playing XI India selects for the game. He said:

"Before the match, people were saying 'Why is Shardul playing?' And as soon as Siraj started going for runs, people started saying 'Why is Siraj playing?' These are topi masters. The camera was being panned at Shami and Ashwin again and again. We should back the team that is selected."

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Sreesanth on Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq sorting differences

The India-Afghanistan encounter had an intriguing match-up between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq waiting to unleash, given the interaction that the duo had during the IPL 2023 season.

However, Sreesanth was delighted to see the duo exchanging pleasantries and hugging it out in the middle rather than carrying on the bad blood. On this, the World Cup winner stated:

"It's good to see whatever happened on the field. I also agree that whatever happens on the field should stay on the field. It's a one-day match so everything should finish in one day as well (smiles). If it's a Test match then you carry on for five days, but after that just leave whatever happened on the field itself."

India will now take on Pakistan in their next game in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14, and will look to keep their unbeaten record against their arch-rivals in this event intact.