Harbhajan disappointed over Samson, Chahal's exclusion from Champions Trophy squad
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has voiced his displeasure over the exclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal from the Indian ODI team. This comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy and England ODIs. Despite Samson's phenomenal average in 50-over cricket, he wasn't picked in the team, leaving Harbhajan disheartened.
Advocacy
Harbhajan advocates for Samson's inclusion in team
Harbhajan strongly pushed for Samson's inclusion in the team during a chat with Switch. He said, "Truly, I feel bad for him. He scores runs but he is dropped." The former spinner further emphasized that despite an average of 55-56, Samson wasn't even picked as a second wicketkeeper. This has left Harbhajan questioning the selection process and pushing for changes to include deserving players like Samson.
Omission queried
Chahal's omission from T20I series also questioned
Apart from Samson, Harbhajan was also disappointed over leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's exclusion from India's T20I series against England. He said, "Sanju isn't there. Yuzvendra Chahal isn't there, too." Harbhajan opined that having a leg-spinner like Chahal could have added variation to the team's bowling attack. This decision has only added to his concerns over the selection process for the national team.
Predictions
Harbhajan's predictions for ICC Champions Trophy
Along with his predictions, Harbhajan also shared his ICC Champions Trophy predictions. He said he doubted young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal would get a chance to bat in top order positions with established players like Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer. These remarks show Harbhajan's keen observation of team dynamics and potential strategies for upcoming matches.