AB de Villiers, the former South African cricketer, felt it to be a pity that the Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was omitted from the T20 World Cup squad. He communicated his thoughts through his YouTube channel. According to De Villiers, the selectors had given preference to team composition over the individual players’ form and performance.
De Villiers remarked that Siraj is in India’s ODI team but has been left out of the T20 World Cup. Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were named the primary fast bowlers. Harshit Rana was also picked, partly due to his ability to score runs as well. De Villiers thought that the selectors had looked at not only the pace options but also the spin bowlers who could work well with the pacers.
Mohammed Siraj’s last match in T20 format was for India in July 2024. Harshit Rana bowls with Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh and at the same time adds value with his batting. Thus, this balance influenced the selectors’ verdict.
Even though Siraj’s name is not on the T20 World Cup list, he will participate in the ODI series against New Zealand commencing January 11. AB de Villiers and Mohammed Siraj had already played together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL, which provided De Villiers a glimpse of Siraj’s skills.
