Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers believes that Mohammed Siraj has been unlucky to miss out on selection for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers said: “We see Siraj in the ODI squad, he is one of the unlucky guys to miss out. But that is once again down to the balance. You have got Bumrah and Arshdeep. Harshit can hold the bat as well. So there are your three seamers. I think that is the reason why you went for Harshit because Siraj is only an outright bowler, and they do not want to focus too much on seam bowling. The focus is on the spinners. If they get wickets with the seamers upfront, they almost see it as a bonus in a way. So Siraj is unlucky but at least he is in the ODI plans moving forward for the 2027 World Cup.”
Siraj was in good form in the IPL for Gujarat Titans (GT), where he took 16 wickets from 15 matches. However, he did not get a chance to play a single T20I in 2025.
According to De Villiers, India have a very balanced squad with all the “bases covered.”
“The problem with Harshit Rana with the new ball is that he doesn’t have a lot of experience at the international level. But if he can give you a few overs with Bumrah and Arshdeep, there is enough overs, and then Shivam and Hardik can fill up. They also cover all bases with spin, and that’s where they will focus on trying to win games. When Bumrah has a quiet night, a Kuldeep comes through and gets you four and vice versa. Then there is Hardik coming through in the middle and turning the momentum around. Those are the kind of championship teams you want, and India has got all those bases covered,” he added.
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