Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that India should leave behind the policy of selecting players based on their reputation. He also wondered what suddenly went wrong in Gautam Gambhir’s tenure after a great spell under Rahul Dravid as the team’s head coach.
Harbhajan did not take 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 so it is difficult to drop them.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently endured a bad time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where they were far below par with the bat. Their disappointing returns did not help India as they suffered a 1-3 loss to Australia in the series.
Also read: Nitish Kumar Reddy dropped as Michael Vaughan picks a combination XI from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid” – Harbhajan Singh
While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh wondered what suddenly went wrong for Indian cricket under Gautam Gambhir’s tenure after a successful period under Rahul Dravid.
“Everything was fine until Rahul Dravid was there. India won the (T20) World Cup and everything was fine. But suddenly what happened?” Harbhajan asked.
“In the past six months we have lost to Sri Lanka, a series of defeats against New Zealand and now a 3-1 defeat in Australia. It seems that everything has fallen apart,” he noted.
India won the 2024 T20 World Cup when Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the team. It was also Dravid’s last tenure as the head coach of the team and he left on a high note. Under Dravid, India also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup where they suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia.
Harbhajan Singh asks India to ‘drop superstar attitude’
Speaking further in the video, Harbhajan Singh asked the selectors not to pick the team based on reputation and instead focus on the player’s performances to pick the squad. 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 biggest match winners. BCCI and selectors should hold back. India should leave behind the superstar attitude,” Harbhajan said.
“Abhimanyu Easwaran was taken on the tour but he did not play. He can become a player for India if given a chance. Sarfaraz is the same case. A performing player should go (to England). He should not pick players with reputation,” he argued .
Abhimanyu Easwaran was in line to play the first Test when Rohit Sharma was absent, but India preferred to play against KL Rahul. Rahul played exceptionally well in the match and cemented 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 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 showed no signs of retirement despite their poor results in the series.
India’s next Test series will be played in June on the tour of England. Whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will enter the series or the selectors will go for a tough decision remains to be seen.
