KL Rahul has failed badly to give India a good start in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, where Team India is on the brink of losing out on a final's spot after suffering two back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage of the T20 tournament in the UAE.
After India’s 6-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Tuesday (September 6), former Indian off-spinner and commentator Harbhajan Singh suggested the Indian team to pick players according to the formats while batting for Shikhar Dhawan’s inclusion in the T20I team.
He further mentioned that Dhawan is a consistent performer, and India needs his consistency at the moment, and there is no harm in giving him an opportunity in T20I cricket given his IPL performances. Notably, the left-hander scored over 400 runs for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2022.
Harbhajan Singh said on Aaj Tak: “Bring back Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan. Shikhar has scored runs and he is consistent and the current Indian team needs that consistency. In the IPL, Dhawan scores decent runs every year.”
He continued, “So, my opinion is to bring back players who have got runs and who know how to score runs. Rohit, Virat, KL, and others are all good players. But we have to see who’s better for which format.”
Meanwhile, Harbhajan lashed out at the Indian team management for dropping Dinesh Karthik from the playing XI after giving him an opportunity in the first match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
The former spinner said, “What mistake has Dinesh Karthik made to get dropped? He made his way into the squad at the age of 37 after outstanding performances. Then he played well in the West Indies and other tours where he batted well. Most importantly, he is consistent and at his peak. Suddenly, he gets dropped from the playing XI after only one match in the Asia Cup.”
He signed off by saying, “Honestly, it’s beyond my understanding. I don’t know if he is injured, I don’t know if he isn’t a team man. He is too good a player, he should be in your playing XI.”
