Harbhajan Singh, the legendary Indian spinner, voiced his unhappiness with the decision of selectors to omit Yuzvendra Chahal from the Asia Cup 2023 roster.
The 33-year-old was left out of the 17-man team for the continental event, leaving Kuldeep Yadav as the lone wrist spinner with spin all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Harbhajan Singh believes Chahal is Team India’s finest spinner in limited-overs cricket, and that a few poor performances do not make him a bad bowler.
Notably, the experienced leg spinner has been on and off the team in recent years. He was included to the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022, but he did not play in the competition.
Harbhajan comments on Chahal missing from the squad
“The one thing I feel is lacking in the team is the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal. A leg-spinner who can get the ball to turn away. If you talk about genuine spinner, I don’t think there’s any spinner in India better than Chahal in white-ball formats. Yes, his last few games weren’t good, but that doesn’t make him a bad bowler,”
Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan went on to remark that India should consider Yuzvendra Chahal for the much-anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India beginning on October 5.
According to the 43-year-old, a player who returns to the group after being repeatedly dropped will have a significant impact.
“I think his presence in the team was necessary. I hope the doors aren’t closed to him. It’s important to consider him for the World Cup because the tournament is in India. Chahal is a proven match-winner. I can understand his form isn’t good, so you may have rested him. But I think if he was with the team, his confidence would’ve stayed intact. Any player who comes back after being dropped, the pressure to perform is always there,”
the former cricketer added.
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