Home Cricket News ICC T20 World Cup 2021: “Selection Was Right, Execution Was The Main Issue” – Harbhajan Singh

ICC T20 World Cup 2021: “Selection Was Right, Execution Was The Main Issue” – Harbhajan Singh

November 1, 2021

Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has backed Shardul Thakur’s selection against New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The all-rounder replaced a struggling Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the playing XI.

Shardul Thakur had a forgettable outing in the match. He was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the first innings. The all-rounder was also expensive, conceding 17 runs at an economy rate of 11.3 in the match. India lost the match by 8 wickets, as they failed to defend 110 runs.

Not the result we wanted, but we will look to bounce back in the matches ahead. #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/A61JjoITe1
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 31, 2021

In a video on Harbhajan Singh’s Youtube Channel, the spinner backed Shardul’s selection. He stated that it is not fair to be critical of Shardul’s performance with the bat, as none of the batters got runs. Harbhajan said:

“Selection was right, I thought that it was absolutely right. You cannot judge him with just one over and at the same time cannot expect him to pick up like 4 wickets while defending 111. He did not score many runs, but neither did the other batsmen. The execution was the main issue.”

The off-spinner also pointed out that the Indian batters failed to keep the scoreboard ticking, and the pressure kept on building. He said,

“There were 54 dot balls in the innings, that’s 9 full overs. Spinners bowled very well despite the fact that there was no turn. They stuck with their line and lengths and Indian batsmen could not even pick singles off them.”

There was no intent by the Indian bowlers: Harbhajan Singh

India was asked to bat first by Kane Williamson. They lost both the openers inside the powerplay, with 35 runs on the board. KL Rahul was dismissed for 18, while Ishan Kishan scored 4 runs. Harbhajan Singh believes that the early two-wickets pushed India on the back foot. He also pointed out that that Indian bowlers lacked intent.

“Pressure kept building up and even Kohli had to play the shot he does not play most often. That was a big wicket. Had Kohli remained on the crease and picked up more singles, India could have scored around 140-150. India were left far too behind after the loss of 2 wickets. Even though the target was low, there was no intent by the Indian bowlers. Body language and the fight were missing,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.

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