Former Indian World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh blamed the absence of experienced batters in the Indian squad for their loss to England in the second test of the five-match Test series in Vizag. The Rohit Sharma-led squad lost by 28 runs to England in the first test, falling victim to England’s Bazball strategy.
The Men In Blue had to make substantial lineup changes for the second Test against England. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who injured his hamstring on the fourth day of the first Test, and batsman KL Rahul, who complained of right quadriceps pain were both ruled out of the second test, leaving the Indian selectors with fewer options for the 2nd game.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Harbhajan Singh believes that India’s batting lineup lacks experience, with Ravichandran Ashwin being the squad’s next leading run-getter behind captain Rohit Sharma. He also noted that India might try to provide a spinning track in Vizag as they have several spinners in the squad.
“The team looks decent but lacks experience. Yes, there is Rohit Sharma, but the next best run-scorer is Ashwin. In terms of batting, the line-up looks weak. And if they play on a turning track, which I feel they will because they have added Washington Sundar while having Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin and Axar Patel,” Harbhajan Singh said.
The selectors consequently selected three players to the squad replacing Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul as batsman Sarfaraz Khan, all-rounder Washington Sundar, and left-arm spinner Sourabh Kumar were added to the squad for the second test.
I Fear India Don’t End Up Losing After Making A Turning Pitch – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh warned that India should not be caught off guard by dealing out a turner to England in Vizag, given what happened in the World Cup final when the pitch plan backfired, allowing Australia to win the title.
“I fear India won’t end up losing after making a turning pitch for England. This batting unit is young, they need time, and if they get a good track, they might even perform well,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.
The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for India’s 2023 World Cup final vs Australia has been rated ‘average’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Australia won the toss and decided to field first on the sluggish surface. The Men in Blue struggled to score runs at a fast clip in the middle overs and were eventually bowled out for 240. Pat Cummins and co. won the championship after successfully chasing down the target with six wickets in hand.
