Former South African captain AB de Villiers has backed the decision to drop Mohammed Siraj from India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad. AB said Siraj looked unsettled for quite some time and his exclusion was on the cards.
Meanwhile, Siraj has an impressive record in ODIs, taking 71 wickets in 44 ODIs at a decent average of 24.05. The Indian fast bowler recently scalped 20 wickets in five Test matches against Australia at an average of 31.15.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh as the three seamers for the Champions Trophy. Agarkar stated that Siraj might not have been effective with the old ball and thus he was left out.
AB de Villiers said on his YouTube Channel, “I don’t think Siraj’s absence will affect the Indian bowling unit. He’s looked unsettled for quite some time. It might be due to the Australia tour, he bowled a lot of overs and gave his complete energy. He did well sometimes but not enough the other times. I think he is unable to hold the ball strongly.”
AB backed Siraj to bounce back into the team by performing consistently.
AB added, “I am disappointed that he didn’t find a place. He’s an incredible bowler, I am convinced he will be back.”
The former RCB batter backed the Indian squad, praising the team for its batting depth. India has picked three spin all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.
De Villiers said, “I think this is a tournament-winning team. First of all, their matches will be held in UAE. This is because they’ve picked a batting-heavy team. It’s because to win big ICC tournaments, you need strong batting team. We’ve always seen Australia and in the World Cup, they batted deep and won the match. For example – Glenn Maxwell’s double century against Afghanistan.”
He concluded, “It’s usual that Hardik Pandya is an all-rounder, and Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington can bat. This is the key that is important for them. They have a deep batting lineup and enough bowling options. They have options left, right, and the centre, which can cover any circumstance.”
India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
