Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes the management should look beyond veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and bring back the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Harbhajan stated that Ashwin and Chahal took a defensive approach albeit on flat pitches during the recently-concluded series in South Africa. Speaking to Sports Today, Harbhajan Singh said:
“I think these two guys (Ishant Sharma and Ashhwin) have done really well for Team India, whether you talk about Test cricket or ODIs. With all due respect to R Ashwin, I think he is a champion bowler, but in ODI cricket, I feel, it’s time India start looking for an option, maybe someone who can take the ball in as well as out.
“Someone like Kuldeep Yadav could be a great option. Why don’t we go back to Kulcha combination and see what they can bring to the table? They have won games for India. It will be a good thing to go back to them,” Harbhajan added.
Ravichandra Ashwin, who was brought back to the ODI squad for the first time since 2017, picked up only one wicket in 2 matches before he was benched for the 3rd ODI. Yuzvendra Chahal picked up only 2 wickets and struggled to pick up wickets in the middle overs.
“If you don’t take wickets in the middle-overs, I don’t think you are going to win many games” – Harbhajan Singh
Elaborating on the need to pick up wickets regularly in the middle-overs in ODI cricket, Harbhajan Singh stressed that if India fail to pick up wickets in the middle overs, they will struggle to win many games in this format.
“If you don’t take wickets in the middle-overs, I don’t think you are going to win many games. It’s also important to take wickets with the new ball which we were not capable of enough in the series in South Africa,” he added.
India next play ODIs against a visiting West Indies side from February 6 to 11 in Ahmedabad.
