New Delhi:
Harbhajan Singh makes big appeal to BCCI: What happened after the shameful 1-3 defeat at the hands of Australia in the just concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is that now the language of former cricketers has not only become harsher but new narratives are emerging. Now former legend Harbhajan Singh has said something which was rarely heard from a player of his level earlier. Bhajji has requested BCCI to end the ‘superstar clutch’ in the team and select players not on credentials but purely on the basis of performance.
He said on his YouTube channel, “Superstar culture has been created in the team. We do not want superstars, we want players who perform well. Only if there are good performers in the team, the team will progress. Whoever wants to become a superstar, can do so by staying at home. Played cricket there. He said, “England tour is coming soon. Now everyone is going to talk about what will happen in it, who will be in the team and who will not. I believe this is a straightforward issue. Only players who perform well should be in the team, you cannot choose a team on the basis of reputation.”
Harbhajan said, “If you want to do this, then take Kapil Dev sir and Anil Bhai also. Here BCCI and selectors will have to be strict. The team cannot move ahead with superstar attitude.” It is clear that Harbhajan is referring to captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are the most targeted by critics and veterans.
Captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli were in poor form in the series against Australia. With the defeat, India also lost the chance to play the World Test Championship final. Kohli scored 190 runs in nine innings and was often caught in the slips.
Harbhajan said, “Cricketers struggling with poor form should prove their worth for the Test tour of England by playing in any format.” He said, “The team should be selected on the basis of performance. Be it Virat Kohli, Rohit or anyone else. No player is bigger than the team even if he thinks he is a big superstar. If Indian cricket is to be taken forward, it is a tough question.” Will have to ask.”
He said, “I am not saying that they should be dropped, but players struggling with poor form should be selected only if they have played some cricket before the England tour.” Harbhajan said, “Virat Kohli scored 440 runs in 11 Tests in 2024. The average was 23.15. He is a big name, so these figures look strange. I was also surprised, but if you give a chance to a youngster, he will score so many runs. He will also score runs.”
He also said, “If Jasprit Bumrah was not there, India would have lost 0-5 or 0-4.” He said, “He is crushed like sugarcane. If Travis Head comes, give the ball to Bumrah, if Marnus comes, give the ball to Bumrah, if Steve Smith comes, give the ball to Bumrah. After all, how many overs will he bowl? His back is broken. The team management will have to decide how many overs he will bowl.”
