The right-arm speedster was in the team when India lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024.
In a country which produces a cricket champion from every lane across the vast geographical landmass, stern competition to appear in the final 15 for a tournament would be a given. Having said that, Mohammed Siraj recently found himself in the firing line, after he was not included in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.
The right-arm pacer was a part of India’s playing XI for most of the matches in the last edition of the tournament, which the Men in Blue ended up winning. However, with the tournament being played in the subcontinent this time, the management felt the need to go with a spin-heavy side, which meant that the Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer would be left out.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate and South Africa legend AB de Villiers reasoned the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad, stating that the existing combination had no place to accommodate the speedster. However, he also voiced his hopes that Siraj could well and truly be a part of the ODI World Cup 2027 squad at a later stage. The 31-year-old made a comeback to the ODI squad for the series against New Zealand starting January 11.
“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”, said De Villiers on his podcast.
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The Men in Blue have got a pretty settled line-up for the coveted T20 event, and will surely enter the tournament as favourites to retain the trophy. The batting order looks quite set with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson the most probable ones to take up the opening spots. However, ODI and Test skipper Shubman Gill would be unlucky to miss out, sailing in the same boat as Mohammed Siraj.
That being said, De Villiers stated that one of the primary reasons the management would have gone with Harshit Rana for the third seamer role after Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh would be his ability with the bat in hand. Mohammed Siraj is a pure bowler, and on decks in India, the team would like to go in with a spin-heavy XI.
That being said, he also voiced his concerns over the bowling of Harshit Rana, who is still inexperienced with the new ball in hand. There is no doubt that Bumrah and Arshdeep would be opening the bowling for the Indians, with Hardik Pandya also chipping in with a couple of overs in the powerplay if required. That way, it could be possible that Harshit would have to be benched – with Shivam Dube acting as the fourth medium pacer.
“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”, said the Protea legend.
The Men in Blue have a lot of bases covered, and do not need to do anything extraordinary in the campaign. De Villiers spoke of their ability to have each other’s backs, which would be important in a tournament like the World Cup.
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