Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed his disappointment with the selection decisions made for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. After Team India’s heavy defeat in the World Test Championship final against Australia, the selectors made some bold moves.
In light of the new cycle of the WTC, the selectors chose to drop veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and reinstated Ajinkya Rahane as the Test team’s vice-captain. However, Pujara’s exclusion has not been well received by many, including Harbhajan Singh. The renowned spinner has joined the list of high-profile individuals criticizing the decision and supporting the batsman.
Pujara was dropped from the team after failing to perform in the WTC final. Despite being in England and playing county cricket before the final, the right-handed batsman couldn’t convert his experience into substantial scores. He managed only 14 and 27 runs as India suffered a heavy 209-run defeat against Australia.
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While new faces were included in the Test team, such as uncapped batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harbhajan Singh expressed his disappointment with Pujara’s absence. The two-time World Cup winner emphasized Pujara’s significance to the Indian Test team, praising him as a pillar of strength who does the gritty work for the team while others benefit from it.
“I hold a lot of respect for Cheteshwar Pujara and his accomplishments. He has been an unsung hero of the Indian team for many years. He has been one of the pillars of strength for India, doing the dirty work of hanging in there and ensuring the other batters find their comfort,” Harbhajan told news agency PTI.
He further took a subtle dig at Virat Kohli and other batter who have struggled in Test matches recently. “I believe he deserves more respect than what he has received, and his surprising exclusion from the team was a shock for me. He is not the only one failing to score runs; there are others in the team who have similar batting averages,” Harbhajan added.