India's spin wizard Harbhajan Singh has expressed his disappointment over Yuzvendra Chahal's exclusion from the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Harbhajan took to his YouTube channel to question the selection committee's decision, stating that it is beyond his understanding why Chahal is not included in the T20I squad.
Chahal, who is a proven performer in the T20I format, earned a recall to the ODI squad but was surprisingly overlooked for the T20I series. This has raised concerns about his participation in the T20 World Cup 2024.
In his Youtube channel, Singh questioned the logic behind excluding Chahal from the T20I format, emphasising that a player excelling in a particular format should be included in it. He further stated that Chahal's exclusion is a matter of concern as he is a crucial player in the team's T20I setup.
“There is no Yuzvendra Chahal in T20 format. You kept him in ODIs but not T20Is. Lollipop de diya bande ko (They gave him lollipop),” Harbhajan said.
“Aap jo format me acha karte hain wo nahi khilayenge baki ka format khilayenge (We won’t take in the format where you do well but will take for other formats). Ye mere samajh se pare hain (It’s beyond my understanding),” he added.
Chahal's selection marks his return to the Indian team after a three-month hiatus, during which he was overlooked for the Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, and the ongoing T20I series against Australia. His last international appearance was in August during India's tour of the West Indies. Recently, Chahal stunned everyone by snaring six wickets for Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Uttrakhand. His brilliant six-fer bundled out Uttrakhand for a paltry 207. Chahal claimed his fifth List A five-for just two balls later when he got the wicket of Mayank Misha for a duck. The spinner then claimed his third six-wicket haul in his final over, finishing with figures of 6/26 in 10 overs.
The ex-cricketer turned commentator Harbhajan also highlighted the importance of transparent communication with senior players regarding the reasons behind their exclusion and potential opportunities for their future careers.
“South Africa tour is not easy. It’s tough for batters. There you won’t have Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Youth are indeed getting opportunities. It’s a good thing. But I don’t think that selectors had a chat with Rahane, Pujara, or Umesh Yadav because whenever Yadav has played in Tests, he has performed,” Harbhajan continued.
“I think the road is tough for a comeback (for these three players). However, they have served Indian cricket, and are renowned cricketers. The board should have had a chat with them. They should have been informed why they are not picked and what is a possible path for them in their careers.”
Both Rahane and Pujara were dropped from India's three-match Test series against South Africa.
Rahane made a comeback for the 2023 World Test Championship final but struggled with runs in the subsequent West Indies tour. Pujara, on the other hand, showcased impressive form in the county championship and played his final Test match in the WTC final. Umesh Yadav also made his last appearance for India in the WTC final.
India’s squad for 3 T20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.
India’s squad for 3 ODIs: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.
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