Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh backed the selector's decision to recall veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Rahane, a veteran of 82 Test matches, last played for India in the longest format of the game in January last year. Since then, he was not considered for selection owing to poor form. However, his form in the domestic circuit, as well as the ongoing IPL 2023, has earned him a recall into the Test side.
While pointing out the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who is out of action due to a back injury, Harbhajan suggested that the management didn't have any other option apart from Rahane.
"Ajinkya Rahane has been playing for India for a long time now and he has also captained the team. He is a very capable player with a 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 an opportunity to Rahane and it's a big match. He is a big player as well and I hope he gives that big performance to justify the selection. I support this selection 100 per cent and I feel it is a great decision. There was actually no other solution other than this," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
However, Harbhajan felt that Suryakumar Yadav should've been part of the team, saying that the selector's should've picked an extra batter instead of going for three spinner.
"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" he added.
To further back his claim, Harbhajan was of the opinion that Suryakumar will provide an x-factor with his attacking brand of cricket.
"When Gilchrist used to come in the middle for Australia, at No.6-7, he would destroy the bowlers. So you need a batter in the line-up who can play baseball cricket like Rishabh Pant. India will miss Suryakumar during this tour," Harbhajan signed off.