Harbhajan Singh Questions BCCI Over Shreyas Iyer's Snub. Picks India's Ideal No. 3 vs England
As India ushers in a new era in Test cricket with a young squad and a fresh leadership group, former spinner Harbhajan Singh has advised the team to embrace the challenge of the five-Test series in England with belief, patience, and fearlessness. Speaking on the sidelines of the Vidarbha Cricket League launch in Nagpur, Harbhajan emphasised that India's success in England will depend not just on skill but also on mindset.
'The team needs to believe in themselves — believe that they can win. This team has the ability,' Harbhajan said.
'These are the same youngsters — Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant — who broke Australia's fortress at the Gabba. Now it's their turn to make history again. The opportunity is massive, and they should grab it with both hands.'
India's squad for the England tour reflects a significant shift. With stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin having retired from the format, a new-look 18-man unit will take the field under the 25-year-old Shubman Gill, appointed captain for the first time. Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain.
While Jasprit Bumrah was a candidate for captaincy, selection chief Ajit Agarkar clarified that workload concerns ruled him out of contention.
'Gill is a new captain, and the team is quite young — there's no Rohit, Virat, Pujara, or even Ajinkya Rahane. It's going to be challenging, but I expect our youngsters to rise to the occasion and perform well,' Harbhajan said.
He also urged fans and critics to be patient with the team's progress: 'Just because they don't win right away doesn't mean we start criticising them. The team needs support right now. They're going through a transitional phase — a new team, a new era — and I hope it turns out to be a successful one for Indian cricket.'
Among the key talking points in the squad was the inclusion of B. Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh, both earning maiden Test call-ups. Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur have been recalled, while notable omissions include Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami. Harbhajan weighed in on Iyer's absence, which has stirred discontent among fans and former captain Sourav Ganguly.
'Shreyas Iyer is a very fine player. He's proven himself in ODIs, performed in the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and IPL. So yes, he should've been in the squad. But maybe the selectors don't see him as a red-ball player right now,' Harbhajan said. 'If I were part of the selection committee, I would have considered him. But this is not the end — his journey is long, and he might even be a future ODI captain. One missed tour doesn't mean his career is over.'
On the crucial No. 3 batting spot, Harbhajan backed the young Sudharsan. 'In my opinion, Sai Sudharsan should play at No.3. He's a left-hander, in top form, and just came off a very impressive IPL. His technique is sound, and I believe he could be the solution at that position.'
India's five-Test series in England, starting June 20 at Headingley, also marks the beginning of their 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. The squad includes a balanced mix of youth and experience, with the likes of KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar joining the young core.
Harbhajan made these remarks while attending the launch of the Vidarbha Cricket League, a new domestic initiative aimed at tapping grassroots talent in the region.
'Hearty congratulations to the Vidarbha Cricket League. Whenever a league starts in any region, it brings out local talent. Vidarbha has been Ranji Trophy champions in recent years and has a very strong team,' Harbhajan said. 'It's a big opportunity for the youth here — if they perform well, new doors will open for them to represent Vidarbha at higher levels. It's a fantastic initiative.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- First Post
And after years of veering towards gates of cricketing hell, South Africa pitch up in paradise with WTC triumph
The overriding emotion from everyone with an allegiance to South African cricket, apart from the obvious delight, was one of relief. That this monkey was finally off their back, and that they will no longer personify the many possible slips between the cup and the lip. read more Temba Bavuma became only the second South African to win an ICC event as captain after leading the Proteas to a five-wicket victory over Australia in the World Test Championship Final at Lord's. Reuters Sport teaches life lessons. It advocates stories of camaraderie, of emphasising the collective over your own interests, and offers a chance to chase dreams that otherwise would have been put down as fantasy. But there is a crueller side to sport too. Where winning often becomes the only marker of success, or of how good a team or a player was. South Africa have been chastened by that. More times than they would want to recollect, actually. Theirs has been a team full of extraordinarily talented individuals, but somehow, they have not come together to win as many titles as their ability would warrant. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So much so that whenever people talk about the Proteas, they remember them as that team that made a habit of fumbling at the finish. Fickle? Too short-sighted? Perhaps. But that is how sport and sporting memories work. Which meant South Africa needed something special to bin that narrative. And the . Proteas turn up like they have rarely ever done When session two of day three began, they were up against it. Australia had not run away with the contest, but they had a healthy lead, and had dismissed South Africa for 138 just a day ago. This, remember, was also a team burdened by the past. But then, South Africa turned up. Like they have rarely ever done. Almost dealing Australia a dose of their own medicine and playing, as the cliché would go, like champions. Aiden Markram, so often touted to have the world at his feet, but unable to marry it with consistency, crafted the innings of his life. And the best part was that it never felt out of character. Aiden Markram was adjudged the Player of the Match for his magnificent 136, which helped South Africa chase down the challenging 282-run target set by Australia with ease. AP Temba Bavuma showed indomitable leadership throughout the game, but especially in the run-chase. He was hamstrung (quite literally), and never let it show. Everything was so on-point and everything was so calm, which was further epitomised after South Africa won. There was happiness. But it was a quietly confident and controlled celebration. Like he wanted Australia and the world to know this will happen more often in years to come. A famous Indian captain (aka MS Dhoni) had done something similar years ago. And word is that he did just fine as a skipper too. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There were hairy moments (of course there were) and those in South African colours might have gulped nervously when Kyle Verreynne tried to ramp South Africa to history and gloved it. But Australia had run out of reviews (and ideas) and this, anyway, was just meant to be South Africa's day and occasion. Not to mention they only needed one more run. Monkey finally off South Africa's back The overriding emotion from everyone with an allegiance to South African cricket, apart from the obvious delight, was one of relief. That this monkey was finally off their back, and that they will no longer personify the many possible slips between the cup and the lip. And now, South African cricketers can parade around Cape Town, Centurion, Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg and Paarl with world-champion medals around their necks. Knowing that when they look into the eyes of their people and see tears, those are of elation and ecstasy, and not disappointment. South African players celebrate with the ICC Test Mace at Lord's after defeating Australia by 5 wickets in the World Test Championship final. AP Several hundreds of them, lest we forget, flew thousands of miles, cheering their lungs out, spurring their team on and then rejoicing as the sun shone on their side - literally and metaphorically. And each of them, along with those back home, will tango all night long because the team of their hearts, subjected only to heartbreaks and heartburns previously, has laid its hands on the holy grail. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But that is not all. In an era where Test cricket and its financial viability occupies a significant chunk of cricketing conversations, South Africa, by virtue of being world champions, will now hopefully have more chances of playing this format, without worrying about how practical it is. Or without having to indulge in a direct trade-off, as was the case when Neil Brand led an incredibly inexperienced side to New Zealand last year. And that is why this team will be etched in South African cricketing folklore. As perhaps the squad that made Test cricket fashionable and feasible again in a country that has produced so many world-class cricketers. And most definitely as the side that ended a cricketing nation's enormously long wait to be called world champions. Silencing the doubters in some style There will still be those who argue that South Africa should not have had this opportunity at all. That their chances of being here, let alone winning the entire thing, would have dwindled if they had faced Australia or England during the qualification phase. But South Africa could have lost a three-Test series to Australia, and still finished second (comfortably). Cricket, of course, is not played with a pen on paper, nor with calculators. But even then, the idea that the Proteas did not deserve to be here, in a competition that from its very inception had a flawed concept around who plays whom, is just ridiculous. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Steyn, Tendulkar lead tributes as South Africa defeat Australia to win WTC Final In tournaments, you have to beat what is in front of you. And the Proteas have done that every step of the way - capped off, fittingly, by outlasting Australia. Meaning that fantasy has now intertwined with reality. What was treated as fiction before, is no longer just a story seeking to be scripted. It is tangible, and it is South Africa's. No more conjectures, no more what-ifs, no more thinking about coming close but falling short, and no more waking up in the night, still brooding over what might have been. South Africa left absolutely nothing to chance and nothing to fate after lunch on day three. They stared down their ultimate peak, scaled the summit and then clasped destiny so tightly that it never even contemplated slipping away. From a poetic and psychological standpoint, it simply had to come against Australia, who until Saturday, had not lost a senior men's ICC final since 2010. And it had to come with Markram, who helplessly watched from the dugout as his team crumbled against India in Barbados last year, Kagiso Rabada, who felt he had let the team down after getting banned for recreational drug use, and Bavuma, braving the criticism, the questions, the odds and a hamstring injury, as the chief protagonists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And after years of veering, sometimes uncontrollably, towards the gates of cricketing hell, South Africa now pitch up in paradise, with the country and their fans experiencing cacophonic joy like never before. Having carved out the conclusion and crescendo they have craved for so long. A conclusion that, in bold and capital letters, will say South Africa are, in this format and for the next two years, the gold standard, and that they will be, whenever senior cricket is chronicled, remembered forever as being champions of the world.
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
Ahmedabad Plane Crash: India vs England Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Launch Event Put Off After Tragedy
England and India will square in a five-match Test series, starting November 20. The iconic rivalry will now be played for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, re-named in honour of two of the game's greatest legends- James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar. Until now, India and England played for different trophies depending on the host nation. In England, the Pataudi Trophy, named after former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was awarded. In India, the series was contested for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after a founding figure of Indian cricket administration. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was set to be unveiled on Day 4 of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's. However, the unveiling has now been postponed. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the decision to defer the event comes in the wake of the Ahmedbad plane crash. "Given the tragic events in India, the announcement may wait a while out of respect (for the lives lost)," a very high ranked ECB official told Cricbuzz on Saturday. Both the BCCI and ECB officials are deciding on a flexible new date. "The BCCI are still deciding on the right time for the announcement. The announcement had been kept flexible due to the tragedy," an ECB official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. Only one person survived the horrific accident on Thursday afternoon when London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers including crew members, crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel International Airport. A minute's silence was also observed at Lord's before the play got underway on the third day of the WTC final. On Saturday, South Africa defeated Australia by five runs in the final to lift the ICC WTC title. It was South Africa's first ICC title triumph since the 1998 KnockOut Trophy (now known as Champions Trophy).
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Markram Shares A Beer With Fans After South Africa End Drought With Historic WTC
Last Updated: Aiden Markram celebrated by sharing a drink with fans after leading South Africa to the ICC World Test Championship and ending a 27-year trophy drought. Aiden Markram was in a jolly mood after starring in South Africa's five-wicket victory over Australia at Lord's, winning the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and ending a 27-year drought. Markram enjoyed a drink with fans as he celebrated the historic win. Opener Markram described the triumph, secured by his match-winning knock, as one of his most special days. Markram scored a majestic 136 in the second innings, following a duck in the first, to lead South Africa's successful chase of 282 on day four. This victory secured their first ICC WTC mace and ended a trophy drought dating back to the 1998 Champions Trophy. 'I haven't scored more important runs. It's strange how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. You need a bit of luck, spend time in the middle, and find runs. I'm glad it worked out. The reception stood out. Lord's is a place every Test cricketer dreams of playing. Playing a final here is incredibly special. We had many South African fans in the stands and many more at home. It's one of the most special days," said Markram at the post-match presentation. He also discussed his approach to batting during the chase. 'It's always about balancing defence and scoring. Looking at the wicket and the quality of the bowling, you have a limited number of balls to face and need to maximise scoring from those. Lyon is one of the best; we've had plenty of banter. If this had gone to day five and it kept spinning, he'd have been a handful." Markram, named Player of the Match, shared a 147-run stand with skipper Temba Bavuma, who scored 66 despite a left hamstring strain. 'A lot of credit goes to him (for continuing to bat). He's led us from the front for the last two to three years. He didn't want to leave the field yesterday and found a way to score important runs. It was an innings many will remember," he added. First Published: June 14, 2025, 19:27 IST
