Harbhajan Singh said India needed a batter like Pant or Gilchrist in middle order.
Ajinkya Rahane was one of the highest run-getters in the recent Ranji Trophy season with a double to his name and has been in absolute gun form in the IPL 2023 for Chennai Super Kings, hitting sixes at will and scoring fifties with monumental strike rate.
Therefore, Harbhajan Singh backed Ajinkya Rahane’s selection and called it the best option in place of injured Shreyas Iyer.
“He has captained India in so many matches and is a brilliant player as well. He has great technique. I feel the decision has been taken keeping in mind his present form and hence has been recalled because Shreyas Iyer is still not part of the team. And with Iyer absent, it serves as an opportunity to Rahane and it's a big match. He is a big player as well and I hope he gives a big performance to justify the selection. I support this selection 100 percent and I feel it is a great decision. There was no other solution other than this,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan said that India needs a player who can play “baseball cricket”, of the ability of Adam Gilchrist or Rishabh Pant in the middle order, and that Suryakumar was the perfect option in that regard.
He said that if IPL was the basis of selection for other players, then he should’ve been picked.
Harbhajan said: “The one person who has missed this tour is Suryakumar Yadav. He should have been part of the team. Maybe instead of carrying three spinners, they could have carried an extra batter. Because you need that one batsman in the middle order who can destroy the opposition and only Suryakumar could have done that. He first got him into the Test team because he was in great form. Yes, he has had a rough patch of 4-5 matches but if IPL is the criteria for selection for other players then even he should have been picked, even he has found that rhythm.”