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Former spinner Harbhajan Singh feels 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 head 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, making it difficult to let them down.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a rough time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy recently where they were well below par with the bat. Their disappointing returns did not help India’s cause as they suffered a 1–3 series loss to Australia.
“Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid” – Harbhajan Singh
While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh wondered what went wrong with Indian cricket all of a sudden during Gautam Gambhir’s tenure 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 against New Zealand, and now a 3-1 defeat in Australia. It seems like everything has fallen apart,” he noted.
India won the T20 World Cup 2024 when Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the team. It was also Dravid’s last tenure 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 heartbreaking loss to Australia.
Harbhajan Singh asks India to ‘leave superstar attitude behind’
Beyond the video, Harbhajan Singh asked the selectors not to pick the team based on reputation and focus on the player’s performances to pick a team. He also questioned the decision not to give opportunities to players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan in the Test series against Australia.
“Every player has a reputation. If that’s the case, add Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble or those who have been India’s biggest match-winners. The BCCI and the selectors should step up. India he should leave the superstar attitude behind,” stated Harbhajan. .
“Abhimanyu Easwaran was brought on tour but he didn’t play. He can become a player for India if given a chance. Sarfaraz is the same case. The player who performs has to go (to England) .You shouldn’t pick reputable players,” he stated.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was in line to play the first Test when Rohit Sharma was absent, but India preferred to play against KL Rahul. Rahul performed very 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 huge 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 performances in the series.
India’s next Test series will be played in June on the England tour. It remains to be seen whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make it to the series or the selectors decide to take a tough decision.
