'Tough Calls Should be Same For Everyone' - Harbhajan Singh Lashes Out on Selectors For Dropping Pujara
Pujara has been axed from India Test squad [AP Photos]
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) dropped a bombshell on Friday (June 24) with their announcement of the ODI and Test squad for the highly anticipated West Indies tour. The surprising move saw Cheteshwar Pujara being left out of the Test side.
Pujara's form has been up and down in recent years. Although he played in the County Championship for Sussex and subsequently made a comeback to the Indian team for the World Test Championship final in 2023, he failed to make a significant impact.
However, several fans and experts still have unwavering faith in Pujara's abilities and firmly believe in him to stage a comeback. Among them is former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who has openly criticized the selectors for their decision to exclude Pujara from the test squad.
The latest addition to this group is none other than former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, who emphasised the need to give greater respect to a player like Pujara, who has played hundred Test matches.
The Punjab cricketer further expressed his hope that the selectors have chosen to provide Pujara with a well-deserved break rather than dropping him from the team.
Here’s what Harbhajan Singh said in a video on his YouTube channel:
“I hope it is a rest given to him rather than getting him dropped. A player who has played 100 Test matches should get the respect he deserves. I hope the selectors have talked to him and discussed the further roadmap with him.”
Furthermore, Harbhajan Singh pointed out that the performances of other senior Indian batters over the past two years were not any better than Pujara. He also stressed the need for fairness and equal treatment to all players from the selectors.
"Cheteshwar Pujara is the backbone of this team, and if you are dropping him then the figures of other batters in the last two years aren’t that strong enough. These tough calls should be same for everyone, no matter how big player he is. If you don’t consider Cheteshwar Pujara a big player then for me, other players are not that great.”
In one of the remarkable moves, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been rewarded with a maiden India Test call-up. He is expected to fill the shoes of Cheteshwar Pujara, as the management is seeing him as the potential number three batter for India in the longest format of the game.
Meanwhile, Pujara has returned to the domestic grind after being dropped from the Indian team. He has been selected for the West Zone side in the upcoming Duleep Trophy and has agreed to participate in the tournament immediately.
.jpg "Indian cricket!")
 "Shivani Shukla")
