Harbhajan Singh's coach sends out a warning!

Harbhajan Singh was conspicuous by his absence while India faced England in the third ODI at Mohali on Thursday. The off-spinner may have taken the ODI axe in his stride, but not his childhood coach Davinder Arora. He was hurt and as a result, drove back to Jalandhar from Mohali without watching the day-night encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium.

"Ghar me function ho raha hai aur ghar ka main aadmi nahi hain. Kaisa lagega aap ko? That's why I am going back to Jalandhar. I don't feel like going to the ground. I cannot believe Harbhajan is not playing in Mohali," Arora told MiD DAY while driving back home on Thursday.

Criticising the selectors' decision to drop the Turbunator, Arora rated him India's best spinner after Anil Kumble. "I don't know what happened to the selectors, it's absolute injustice. After Kumble, he is India's number one bowler. I am not saying that because he is my student, but everybody has said that he is a true match-winner," Arora stressed.

Reposing faith in his ward, the Punjab coach believed that the controversial offie should have been in the squad for the home series against England. "Sometimes, you can't perform well in a particular series. He was not fully fit during the England tour, so the selectors should have given him an opportunity here, particularly after he did so well in the just-concluded Champions League T20," Arora felt.

The coach revealed the conversation he had with his pupil recently: "I told him, 'form is temporary but class is permanent. Just relax and think of your golden days and natural style." He left a warning for the detractors too. "I know that he will show everyone what he's capable of, he is a tiger."