Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has expressed his thoughts on what should be Team India’s playing XI for the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. He reckoned that in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav should make his debut in the first Test. The series will get underway on Thursday, February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
Team India batter Shreyas Iyer is injured and will not be available for the first Test. This has resulted in a selection headache for the team, as they will have to choose between Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav. Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has picked both players while dropping the vice-captain KL Rahul. He expressed that Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill have been in form, and deserve to get a chance. Speaking to Sports Tak, he said,
“If you want to give someone a chance to play at No. 5, there’s no better option than Suryakumar Yadav. If someone plays spin better, it’s SKY. He has a sweep shot and steps out well against spinners. When SKY plays in Ranji, he plays in the middle order. Play him at his spot.”
There were many vice-captains who are not on the team: Harbhajan Singh
Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh cited the example of Ajinkya Rahane, who was dropped from Team India’s XI in South Africa, even as he was the vice-captain. The spinner expressed that the team should be the first priority and then the individual players. He expressed,
“KL, I love the way he bats. There is no doubt that he’s a quality batsman but in the present scenario if Shubman Gill doesn’t play then when? Ajinkya Rahane was also vice-captain previously. There were many vice-captains who are not on the team. The team is always the first priority then the individuals come in.”
Harbhajan Singh further chose the combination of three spinners and two pacers for the first Test. He went ahead with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin as the three spin bowling options.
Harbhajan Singh’s predicted XI for 1st Test vs Australia: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
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