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AB de Villiers feels bad for Siraj; Decodes IND pacer's exclusion from T20 World Cup 2026 squad

Soumyajit Dutta

AB de Villiers speaks on the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj [Source: @amrontetia_sectumseptra/X]AB de Villiers speaks on the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj [Source: @amrontetia_sectumseptra/X]

Mohammed Siraj, India’s reliable workhorse with the ball, was excluded from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, and former South Africa great AB de Villiers described the snub as unlucky while consoling the frontline pacer.

Notably, Mohammed Siraj has been out of T20I action for India for quite some time, with his last appearance in the shortest format coming against Sri Lanka in July 2024.

While calling Siraj’s exclusion unfortunate, the former RCB star also praised the selection of India’s current bowling attack for the T20 World Cup. The squad includes the likes of Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna.

AB de Villiers consoles Mohammed Siraj

Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers expressed sympathy for Siraj but backed the choices of Bumrah, Arshdeep, and Harshit Rana.

"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 further added that despite missing out on the T20 squad, Siraj remains firmly in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

“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 added.

De Villiers on India's bowling unit for T20 World Cup 2026

AB de Villiers also assessed India’s T20 bowling unit and highlighted the importance of all-rounders Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, noting how effective they can be as bowling options.

"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,” the ex-RCB player 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," De Villiers concluded.

Siraj last featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Hyderabad on January 3, where he picked up one wicket while maintaining an impressive economy rate of 2.38. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he played four matches and claimed seven wickets, underlining his strong run in the T20 format as well.