Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has said that he wasn’t surprised seeing Team India drop Mohammed Siraj for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as well. The veteran also that Siraj has looked “unsettled” for the last few months as well.

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel: “4:32 – 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. I am disappointed that he didn’t find a place. He’s an incredible bowler, I am convinced he will be back.”
AB de Villiers also backed India selectors for picking a batting-heavy squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as well.
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“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.”

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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 centre, which can cover any circumstance. 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,” AB de Villiers concluded.
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.