Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has said he wasn’t surprised as Team India left out Mohammed Siraj for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The 40-year-old pointed out that the speedster has looked “unsettled” for the last few months.
The cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned that bowling the extra overs in Tests during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series might have played a role in the team’s decision. He further addressed the technical fault behind Siraj’s slump with the ball.
AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel:
De Villiers, however, backed Siraj to bounce back strongly.
AB de Villiers further backed India selectors for picking a batting heavy squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He pointed out how Glenn Maxwell helped Australia beat Afghanistan single-handedly with his double century at the 2023 ODI World Cup. He said in the same video:
De Villiers added that the likes of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar can combat any circumstance in the ICC event.
India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
The Men in Blue are placed alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand in Group A of the Champions Trophy.
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