Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has weighed in on Mohammed Siraj’s non-selection in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad that was announced last month.

Siraj, who recently returned to the ODI setup for the series against New Zealand in January, has taken 14 wickets in 16 T20Is at an average of 32.28, including a four-wicket haul to his name. He last played a T20I on the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2024.

While de Villiers believes Siraj is “one of the unlucky guys to miss out" on the T20 World Cup squad, he also mentioned that the defending champions have “all the bases covered” in their bowling department.

The Proteas legend highlighted that Harshit Rana, one of the pacers alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya, can also chip in with the bat.

“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. 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 said on his YouTube channel.

“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,” he added.

De Villiers also put emphasis on Indian spinners, with Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy being key performers in recent T20Is.

“They also cover all bases with spin, and that’s where they will focus on trying to win games. 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 remarked.