Legendary Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh went out to bat for India’s Yuzvendra Chahal, stating that there is no better and braver leg-spinner than Chahal and that he is being ignored by the selectors for T20Is.
Chahal has established himself as one of India’s prime spinners, especially in T20s where he reigns supreme as the Indian bowler with the most T20 wickets, having scalped a whopping 336 wickets in 390 matches in the shorter format.
Yet, over the past year, it has been apparent that Chahal has been notably missing in white-ball cricket for the Men in Blue, losing out on a spot in the ODI World Cup as well. And it is this fact that has left Harbhajan Singh baffled.
“I would keep Yuzvendra Chahal ahead (for the first slot among spinners),” Harbhajan said in an interview with Hindustan Times, when asked about the spinners to be included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“He is being ignored; I don’t know why. I don’t think he knows as well. But even today, I don’t think there is a better leg-spinner in the country. And I don’t think there is a braver spinner than him. He has a very sharp mind. The second spinner for me would be Ravindra Jadeja. You need to have an off-spinner in Washington Sundar as well. Now, what selectors think, what the management thinks, is a different thing,” Harbhajan said during a chat on the sidelines of the ILT20 in the UAE.
“Pitches will be pretty similar, like India. Spinners will play a big role. I’ve been to the West Indies on many occasions, and I’ve seen there’s always something for the spinners. Hence, it is important to pick the right attack. You cannot look past the conditions because they will be similar to the subcontinent. You have to make the team keeping in mind the conditions. You need to have at least three spinners in your squad,” exclaimed Harbhajan.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is slated to begin on June 1 with India beginning their campaign against Ireland on June 5, and will face off against rivals Pakistan on June 9.
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