South Africa’s former captain, Ab de Villiers, reflected that he wasn’t surprised to see India deciding to leave their senior player for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, where they will begin the event against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium. The 40-year-old pointed out the unsettled behavior of the Hyderabad-born for the last few months.
Ab de Villiers reckoned that bowling those extra overs in the recent five-match Test series of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 might have affected the bowler’s rhythm and selectors’ decision. The former wicket-keeper also addressed the technical fault of Siraj’s slump with the ball.
“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.” The former Protea batter expressed in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.
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The 30-year-old Indian pacer has collected 100 wickets in 67 innings of the longest format at an average of 30.74 and a strike rate of around 53, with the help of three five-wicket and four four-wicket hauls at the best figure of 6/15 in an inning.
Ab de Villiers shoulders on India’s all-rounders for powerful show in Champions Trophy
In 43 innings of the 50-over format, the right-arm pacer has collected 71 wickets in 43 innings at an average of 24.04 and a strike rate of 27.80. Ab de Villiers has backed the fast bowler to make a strong comeback.
“I am disappointed that he didn’t find a place. He’s an incredible bowler; I am convinced he will be back.” The Pretoria-born highlighted.
The veteran further backed India’s selectors for picking a batting-heavy squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He shed out how the Australian all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell, despite being injured, single-handedly beat Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
“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 a 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.” Ab de Villiers elaborated.
India’s squad looks to be in a balanced shape with the batting department decorated, with the presence of captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant. The all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar are there.
The only concern for India in the bowling department is the fitness concern of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. The former is currently injured, while Shami is yet to recover. The Bengal pacer is included in the T20I squad but couldn’t play in the opening encounter at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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“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 center, which can cover any circumstance.” Ab de Villiers explained.
“For them, the main preference will be Rohit Sharma and other experienced players like Virat Kohli. Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, bring them in form and ensure they score runs. And we know what youngsters can do.” The former right-handed batter concluded.