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After India's defeat in the Boxing Day Test, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh voiced his opinion on the team's current batting lineup. He emphasised the value of Cheteshwar Pujara, suggesting that India lacks a better Test batter than him. This statement came in the wake of India's significant loss by an innings and 32 runs to South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion, which put the hosts 1-0 ahead in the two-match Test series.
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This defeat in Centurion dashed India's aspirations of achieving a historic series win in South Africa, a feat they have not accomplished in bi-lateral Test series there. Harbhajan, sharing his views on his YouTube channel, expressed his disapproval of the decision to exclude Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara from the Test squad for the South Africa tour. He highlighted Pujara's importance, noting that his last Test appearance for India was in the World Test Championship final against Australia.
"Didn't select Ajinkya Rahane and have left Cheteshwar Pujara out for no reason. These are the two players who have scored runs everywhere. If you look at the previous record Pujara has the same contribution as Kohli had. I don't understand why Pujara has been left out, we still don't have a better batter than Puajra in Test cricket. He plays slowly but he saves you, because of him India won Test in Australia and England," said Harbhajan.
Harbhajan pointed out that India's performance in the first innings was a decisive factor in the outcome of the match. The Indian team was dismissed for 245 and 131 runs in their two innings in Centurion, which Harbhajan saw as a critical shortfall in their approach to the game. He observed that India never seemed to gain a foothold in the match over the course of three days.
"In three days India for a single moment never looked in the game. They scored 245 runs after losing the toss in the first innings and it was all thanks to KL Rahul. He played a fantastic knock which propelled India's score to 245. In the second innings, India could only score 131 and if you remove Virat Kohli's contribution then it would have been more difficult. The match was decided on India's performance in the first innings," Harbhajan added.
Looking ahead, the Indian team is preparing to face South Africa again, this time at the Wanderers Stadium in Cape Town, scheduled for January 3. This upcoming match offers India a chance to level the series and revisit their strategy, particularly in their batting lineup, to counter the challenges posed by the South African team.
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