“He is one of the unlucky guys to miss out” - AB de Villiers opens up on Indian player’s omission for T20 WC 2026

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has opened up on Mohammed Siraj’s exclusion from the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, starting on Saturday, February 7, in India and Sri Lanka.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer has termed Siraj as ‘unlucky’ for not making the cut for the mega event. Siraj last played a T20I in July 2024 against Sri Lanka. He has scalped a total of 14 wickets in 16 T20Is at an average of 32.28.

"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,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

“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,” he added.

Moreover, AB de Villiers has also revealed a major concern surrounding Harshit Rana with the new ball. He further stated that India would be aiming to win the games with its exceptional spin attack.

"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 are 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 stated.

"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 concluded.

India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK).

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