The competition for places in the Indian team is such that one or two deserving players often miss out, no matter the series or tournament. As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the Champions Trophy and England ODIs, wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson missed out despite his exemplary average in the 50-over format. Harbhajan Singh, former India spinner, admitted being heartbroken to see Samson miss out. While the argument remains, in whose place, should Samson have been picked, Harbhajan feels space could’ve been made for the Kerala cricketer.
“Truly, I feel bad for him. He scores runs but he is dropped. I know you can only select 15, but I feel his batting suits the format. He has an average of 55-56, but he isn’t even there as a second wicketkeeper. When we talk about selecting him, people ask, in whose place? Places can be made,” Harbhajan said in a chat with Switch.
Samson isn’t the only player whose absence left Harbhajan disappointed. The former India spinner also questioned the omission of leg-spinnner Yuzvendra Chahal, who isn’t a part of India’s T20I series against England either.
“Sanju isn’t there. Yuzvendra Chahal isn’t there, too. You’ve picked four spinners, two of them are left-armers. You could’ve included a leg-spinner for variation, too. Chahal is a superb bowler. I don’t know what wrong he did that he doesn’t fit this team,” said Harbhajan.
Young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked for the ICC Champions Trophy but Harbhajan doesn’t think he would get to open or play either at No. 3 or No. 4.
“I thought Yashasvi would open, but now, I don’t feel that. Shubman Gill is the vice-captain, so he will play. And Yashasvi won’t bat at three or four, because Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer will occupy those spots,” said Harbhajan.
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