Harbhajan Singh has made an explosive statement saying that if the BCCI selectors are planning on moving on from senior players in T20I format like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, then they should be informed first and they should not be treated he and others from his era were.
Kohli has been in terrific form with the bat in T20Is and ODIs, since returning to form after a break in Asia Cup 2022. He was the second-highest scorer of the tournament with 276 runs – five short of Mohammad Rizwan's 281.
He was the top-scorer of the T20 World Cup in Australia scoring 296 runs and had hit four fifties to his name.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has also been rested from the T20Is, with Hardik Pandya taking over the captaincy reign in the shortest format.
According to reports, Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma were told they didn't figure in India's future T20 plans given that the next World Cup was two years away. It was time to blood youngsters and the logic was sound.
This was evident as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't featured in any of the eight T20Is that India played since the T20 World Cup.
And Harbhajan Singh says that the BCCI selectors should be clear in their message to players about their future.
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"See, I don't know what selectors have in their minds and what they want to do but if we don't win big tournaments like the World Cup, there always is pressure and the senior players bear the brunt of it. We tend to say 'If the established stars are not able to win, we might as well pick youngsters – we should invest in them'. But as far as Virat is concerned, I don't think he can be sidelined based on form," Harbhajan Singh told Hindustan Times.
“Yes, you can of course speak to him and convey that look we are building a young team but whatever they choose to do, it should be conveyed to seniors. They shouldn't be informed after a decision is made,” he added.
The next big tournament for India is the ODI World Cup at home in October-November and is perhaps their best chance to win their first ICC silverware since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Harbhajan hopes the BCCI show some respect towards their former skipper. Regardless of the decision taken by the selectors, the communication has to be clear.
"We were sidelined first and then got to know through newspapers. It shouldn't happen to Kohli. A player should be given respect – be it Rohit, Virat, or whoever else. Communication is the key. If conducted properly, it will create a healthy relationship between players and selectors because if someone is sidelined and not informed about it, that leaves a sour taste in every player's mouth," said Harbhajan.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
