Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that India should leave behind the policy of selecting the player based on his reputation. He also wondered what suddenly went wrong in Gautam Gambhir’s tenure after a great spell under Rahul Dravid as the team’s coach.
Harbhajan didn’t take any names but it was clear that he was talking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both are world-class names in the world of cricket, which makes it difficult to let them go.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a poor spell in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy recently where they were way down with the bat. Their disappointing returns did not help India’s cause as they suffered a 1-3 series defeat to Australia.
Read also: Nitish Kumar Reddy snubbed as Michael Vaughan picks combined XI from Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid” – Harbhajan Singh
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh wondered what went wrong for Indian cricket suddenly under Gautam Gambhir after a successful spell under Rahul Dravid.
“Everything was fine until Rahul Dravid was there. India won the (T20) World Cup and everything was fine. But what happened suddenly?” Harbhajan asked.
“In the last six months, we’ve lost to Sri Lanka, a series whitewash from New Zealand, and now a 3-1 defeat in Australia. Everything seems to have fallen apart,” he noted.
India won the T20 World Cup 2024 when Rahul Dravid was the coach of the team. It was also Dravid’s last stint as the team’s coach and he left on a high. Under Dravid, India also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they suffered a crushing defeat against Australia.
Harbhajan Singh asks India to ‘leave superstar attitude behind’
Further speaking in the video, Harbhajan Singh asked the selectors not to pick the team because of reputation and instead focus on the performance of the player to pick a team. He also questioned the decision not to give chances to players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan in the Test series against Australia.
“Every player has a reputation. If this is the thing, then add Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble or those who have been India’s greatest match winners. BCCI and the selectors should take a stand. India should let back the superstar attitude,” said Harbhajan. .
“Abhimanyu Easwaran went on tour but didn’t play. He can become a player for India if given a chance. Sarfaraz is the same case. The player who will play should go (to England). You shouldn’t pick players in fame,” he argued.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was in line to play the first Test when Rohit Sharma was absent, but India preferred to play KL Rahul. Rahul performed exceptionally well in the match to cement his position at the top.
Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retire from Tests?
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were major failures in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of 23.75 while Rohit scored 31 runs at an average of 6.20.
Both the players are superstars of Indian cricket and it will not be easy for the selectors to drop them. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have shown no signs of retirement despite their poor returns in the series.
India’s next Test series will be played in June on the England tour. It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make it to the series or the selectors decide to take a tough decision.
2025-01-06 10:29:00
