Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal must’ve done something wrong to not get a single game in the T20 World Cup 2022 after the Men in Blue suffered a heartbreaking loss to England in the semi-finals.
England completely outplayed India in all departments as they chased down the 169-run target without losing a wicket in 16 overs with Jos Buttler scoring 80* and Alex Hales making 86* and was named the Player of the Match.
For India, who batted after losing the toss, Virat Kohli made 50, and Hardik Pandya made 63 to take the Men in Blue to 168/6.
Speaking to India Today, Harbhajan Singh said that he failed to understand why India had not been playing Yuzvendra Chahal all this while. He further added that the current India spinners - Axar Patel and R Ashwin failed to bowl like spinners, which was one of the factors behind the loss.
“It is hurting, more because we did not fight at all. India batted like ODI in first 10-12 overs like they still had 40 more overs to play. India should learn this format from England. They played like champions. It is very disappointing to see India's approach throughout the tournament where they did not look like they would score more than 35 runs,” Harbhajan Singh said on India Today in the Battle of Champions show.
“I don't know what are the reasons that a champion bowler (Yuzvendra Chahal) is not in the team. He must have done something to someone that he is not getting a game. With his credentials he should have been your first-choice spinner,” Harbhajan added.
Yuzvendra Chahal was backed for a long time by India, but they preferred Akshar Patel given his batting abilities. R Ashwin was the first-pick spinner as he was known for his defensive bowling, along with Patel, but the lack of wickets in the middle overs hurt India a lot.
