Former Indian Cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels that the Indian team should have gone with Hardik Pandya as the skipper for the One-day series against West Indies to groom the next set of players for International Cricket. Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian team in the test series and ODI series starting on June 12.
India has rested Mohammed Shami for the series against West Indies to manage his workload ahead of the all-important Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023, other than that team India will play full strength for the series to prepare them for the marquee events.
Speaking on his youtube Channel, Cricketer-turned-commentator Harbhajan Singh feels that the Indian team should have played Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team for the ODI Series, under him few top performers in the IPL should have been given opportunities against the Men in Maroon.
“I felt that the One-day team should have gone only under Hardik Pandya’s narrative with a new team. The youngsters, who performed well in the IPL, should have got a chance here. This was the best chance to groom them. Maybe, they are playing this team considering the World Cup”. Harbhajan Singh said
Hardik Pandya is the most likely candidate to replace the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as the Indian skipper in white-ball cricket. The Indian all-rounder has shown the potential to lead India in the limited opportunities for Men in Blue.
I Hope The Selectors Have Talked To Cheteshwar Pujara – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh believes Cheteshwar Pujara was rested for the series against Men in Maroon, as he did not deserve to be dropped suddenly after playing 100 games for the country in the longer format of the game and wants the Indian selectors to provide him a proper road map for the forthcoming series.
“I hope it is a rest given to him rather than getting him dropped. A player who has played 100 Test matches should get the respect he deserves. I hope the selectors have talked to him and discussed the further roadmap with him,” Harbhajan Singh added
The Indian veteran was dropped from the Indian squad for the West Indies tour following his poor performance against Australia in the World Test Championship final, where he scored only 41 runs in the two innings, failing to make an impact for the side in the much-awaited final.