Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has called Mohammed Siraj one of the unluckiest players not to be included in India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. De Villiers said that with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh as the frontline pacers, India chose Harshit Rana to add depth with the bat, leaving Siraj out of the team.
Siraj was not included in India’s squad for the ICC event, but he remains a part of the ODI setup. The fast bowler has been named in India’s squad for the home ODI series against New Zealand later this month. Siraj has also performed well in domestic T20 cricket and has taken seven wickets in four matches during the SMAT.
Mohammed Siraj one of the unlucky ones to miss out – AB de Villiers
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said Mohammed Siraj missed out on India’s T20 plans due to team balance rather than lack of form. He said the selectors focused on flexibility and all-round depth while finalizing the pace attack.
De Villiers said, “We see Siraj in the ODI team, he is one of the unlucky ones who has been left out. But it is hanging in the balance once again.” “You have Bumrah and Arshdeep. Harshit can also hold the bat. So you have three seamers.”
Siraj was a part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2024, but has played only three T20I matches since then and none in 2025. The fast bowler has been in good form during the IPL 2025 season and has had useful performances for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Mohammed Siraj is just a great bowler – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers believes India’s T20 mindset has moved away from relying too much on fast bowlers. He said the team now prefers spin in the shortest format and this approach worked against Mohammed Siraj, who is a specialist fast bowler, while Harshit Rana offered extra flexibility.
“I think that’s why you picked Harshit because Siraj is only an accurate bowler and they don’t want to focus too much on seam bowling,” de Villiers said.
“The focus is on the spinners. If they get wickets with the fast bowlers, they look at it as a bonus in a way. So Siraj is unlucky, but at least he is moving forward in the ODI plans for the 2027 World Cup,” he said.
Harshit Rana has problems with the new ball – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers said Harshit Rana is inexperienced with the new ball, but India have enough depth to deal with that risk. He said that Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh can handle the important opening overs, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey can share the remaining workload.
“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 compensate for them. They cover all the bases with spin and that’s where they will focus on trying to win the game,” he said.
India have opted for a balanced bowling setup for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The fast bowling unit is led by Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, with additional support from all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey.
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