Legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh is still trying to comprehend the Indian Team Management's decision to leave out Yuzvendra Chahal from the ODI squad for the series against Australia and the upcoming World Cup. The initial team selection showcased the spinning prowess of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja.
However, a twist in the tale came when an unfortunate injury to Axar Patel led to the inclusion of Washington Sundar in the Asia Cup 2023 squad and Ravichandran Ashwin in the team for the upcoming Australia ODIs.
Expressing his surprise, Harbhajan noted on his official YouTube channel, "Yuzvendra Chahal should have been here. He has not been given an opportunity. It is beyond my understanding. Either he has fought with someone or he has said something to someone, I don't know. If we talk only about skill, his name should have been there in this team because a lot of Team India players are resting."
What further intrigued Harbhajan was the clear deviation from the original squad plans. The fact that both Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin, who were not part of the primary vision, were included hinted at the management's inclination towards an off-spinner. Harbhajan observed, "First Washington Sundar, who wasn't in the original Asia Cup squad, was called there. After that, a second player has been added for this series and that is R Ashwin. So somewhere or the other Team India are searching for off-spinners. They have probably realized their mistake that they haven't picked an off-spinner in the team and that our bowlers can get into trouble if a lot of left-handers come in front of them."
Harbhajan further elaborated, stating that the management might have become cognizant of a loophole – the absence of an off-spinner – that could prove detrimental especially when faced against a barrage of left-handed batsmen. He mused, "Why unnecessarily go through all this? It is beyond my understanding or they are going to make another mistake to rectify their earlier mistake."
With the global cricket community always on the lookout for strategic team compositions, especially in high-stakes tournaments like the World Cup, decisions regarding player inclusions and exclusions are frequently under the microscope. Harbhajan Singh's recent comments only add another layer to the debate, especially concerning India's spinner strategy for the 2023 tournaments.
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