as ICC T20 World Cup 2026 approaches, the global cricket fraternity is torn apart India‘s bold choice of staff. On the way back Ishan Kishi and the shocking inaction of the former vice-captain Shubman Gill grabbed the headlines, a veteran pace spearhead that caught the attention of the South African legend was off the bat. AB de Villiers. De Villiers, who shared the dressing room with many Indian stars RCBnoted that while the squad is formidable, the absence of this “unfortunate” veteran highlights a significant change in India’s tactical philosophy.
AB de Villiers calls the Indian skipper’s omission from the 15-member T20 World Cup 2026 squad “unfortunate”.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on January 5, 2026, De Villiers tagged Mohammad Siraj As one of the most unlucky players to miss India’s 15-man World Cup squad. Despite Siraj’s world-class performance against the recent Test series England and firm IPL 2025 season for Gujarat Titansselectors made the choice in terms of youth and batting depth Harshit Rana. De Villiers admitted that while Rana lacked international experience, his ability to ‘chip with the bat’ gave him an advantage as a third seamer. jasprit bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
“We see Siraj in the ODI squad, he’s one of the unlucky guys who missed out. But it still comes down to balance. You’ve got Bumrah and Arshdeep. Harshit (Rana) can also hold the bat. So you’ve got three seamers. I think that’s why you go for Harshit because Siraj is an outright bowler.” De Villiers said.
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De Villiers explains India’s strategy for the T20 World Cup tournament
De Villiers then discussed India’s strategy for the 2026 tournament in India and Sri Lankamoved away from relying on seam bowling. Especially by choosing a spin-heavy unit Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty and Washington Sundarthe team management considers the role of pacers to be secondary. De Villiers concluded that India had all the bases covered, noting that even if a spearhead like Bumrah had a quiet night, the depth and presence of all-rounders in the spin department Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey It will enable India to maintain momentum.
“They don’t want to focus too much on seam bowling. The focus is on the spinners. If they get wickets with the seamers, they almost see it as a bonus in a way. So Siraj is out of luck, but at least he is in the ODI plans to go ahead for the 2027 World Cup.” De Villiers concluded.
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