Indian selectors should drop seniors for youngsters for WT20 if needed, reckons Harbhajan Singh
Legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has lavished praise on India's young players and stated that the selectors should be ready to drop even a senior player if the need arises. Harbhajan also added that Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan are very capable of doing well at the top level.
Right since the start of 2021, we have seen a plethora of young players like Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and, now, Prithvi Shaw, impress one and all, with their glittering displays. Even in the ODI series opener between India and Sri Lanka, the world got to witness the fearless style of play by the trio of Shaw, Kishan, and Suryakumar. With the help of their knocks, India knocked off the target of 263 with close to 14 overs to spare.
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been left in complete awe of India's young players and has stated that the selectors shouldn't mind dropping even a senior player for the T20 World Cup, given the promising performances of the fringe players.
“They should not be ignored based on their performances. Even if selectors have to replace a senior player, they should go ahead and do it," Harbhajan said, reported HT.
He added that players should be judged on their performances and hailed the likes of Shaw and Kishan, who batted brilliantly in India's first ODI win over Sri Lanka.
“You can judge a player on his performances. The way Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan have batted in an international game shows how capable they are and it will be difficult to ignore them for the T20 World Cup. If you want to win the World Cup you need players like them. They don't see who is bowling in the opposition. They just back their natural game,” Harbhajan said.
Harbhajan has been an ardent supporter of Suryakumar Yadav and has been advocating for his selection over the last few years. Now that Suryakumar has made a name for himself on the senior side and continued his good run against Sri Lanka, he remarked that the Mumbai batter is a lock for the T20 World Cup.
"I also feel Suryakumar Yadav has sealed his place for the T20 World Cup. He not only plays an attacking brand of cricket but is also capable of preserving his wicket and scoring quickly at the same time,” Harbhajan concluded.