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Former South African batter AB de Villiers has expressed that pacer Mohammed Siraj is “one of the unlucky guys to miss out” on the T20 World Cup squad but believes India has “all the bases covered” in
their bowling department. De Villiers, who played alongside Siraj for the Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), shared his views on his YouTube channel.
Siraj, who recently returned to the ODI setup for the series against New Zealand in January, is not included in the T20 World Cup squad despite his relentless performance. He has taken 14 wickets in 16 T20Is, with an average of 32.28 and a four-wicket haul to his name. His last T20I appearance was in July 2024 against Sri Lanka.
De Villiers commented that while Siraj is “unlucky,” the decision came down to maintaining team balance. He noted that Harshit Rana, one of the pacers alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya, can also contribute with the bat. De Villiers also highlighted the emphasis on spinners, with Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy being key performers for India in recent T20Is.
“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,” De Villiers explained.
Who Will Bowl?
He also noted that Harshit lacks extensive international experience with the new ball but, along with Bumrah and Arshdeep, could provide enough overs as frontline pacers, with Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya filling in as part-time bowlers.
“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,” he said.
“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.
(With inputs from Agencies)
