Former spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that India should leave behind the policy of selecting players based on their reputation. He also wondered what suddenly went wrong with Gautam Gambhir’s tenure after Rahul Dravid’s big stint as the team’s coach.
Harbhajan did not mention any names but it was clear that he was talking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both of them are world class names in the world of cricket which makes it difficult to drop them.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were far below par with the bat in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Their disappointing return did not help India’s cause as they suffered a 1-3 series defeat to Australia.
“Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid” – Harbhajan Singh
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh wondered what had suddenly gone wrong with Gautam Gambhir’s tenure after a successful tenure 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, lost the series against New Zealand and now we’ve lost 3-1 in Australia. It seems like everything has fallen apart,” he said.
India won the 2024 T20 World Cup when Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the team. It was also Dravid’s last stint as the team’s head coach and he left on a high note. Under Dravid’s leadership, India also reached the final of the ODI World Cup 2023, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Australia.
Harbhajan Singh asks India to “leave the superstar attitude behind”.
Speaking later in the video, Harbhajan Singh asked the selectors not to pick the team based on reputation and 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 so, add Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble or India’s greatest match-winners. BCCI and selectors must catch up. India must leave the superstar attitude behind,” Harbhajan said. .
“They took Abhimanyu Easwara on the tour but he didn’t play. He can be India’s player if given an opportunity. Same situation with Sarfaraz. A player who is out should go (to England). You shouldn’t pick. Reputation of players,” he said.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was lined up to play the first Test in the absence of Rohit Sharma, but India opted to play KL Rahul. Rahul performed very well in the match to consolidate his position at the top.
Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retire from Tests?
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were massive failures in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli has amassed 190 runs at an average of 23.75 in five Tests, while Rohit has amassed 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 on the England tour in June. It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make it into the series or if the selectors decide to take a tough decision.
