Veteran India off-spinner on Monday questioned Team India’s selection in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Virat Kohli-led team has failed to reach the semi-final stage. India lost their first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand comprehensively.
Harbhajan Singh questioned the omission of Yuzvendra Chahal from the squad. Rahul Chahar, who got the nod ahead of experienced Chahar, is yet to play a single match in the T20 World Cup.
“When they picked Rahul Chahar over Yuzvendra Chahal for the T20 World Cup, they reasoned that he bowls quick which is why we selected him. Shortly after that, Chahal had a very good IPL outing. He took 15-16 wickets in the season (18 wickets in 15 matches). Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar hasn’t played a single game in the World Cup yet,” said Harbhajan Singh.
“To be honest, I don’t accept that Chahar is a better bowler than Chahal. Chahal is a dangerous bowler and the number of matches he has won for the Indian team in the past show for it.”
India will face Namibia in their last Super 12 match on Monday.
The 41-year-old also questioned the management over going on with Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing XI, who played his first T20I for the first time in the last five years.
“And even when you selected Chahar, why didn’t you play him? Ashwin played ahead of him after the first two games. I didn’t understand that thought process.
“When Ashwin was dropped way back in 2017, you said we need wrist spinners. We brought Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and they won us many games. Now suddenly, both Kuldeep and Chahal are absent and we are back to Ashwin and Jadeja. I don’t understand this,” he added.
