Indian Premier League has been going on in full swing. While the newcomers are impressive with their all-round shows, veterans are no less. And, both the India spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are doing exceptionally well. And, former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes both of them should be in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year as well.
‘Bring Kul-Cha duo back’, says Harbhajan
While Chahal is playing for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022, Delhi Capitals bought Kuldeep Yadav KKR released him prior to the mega auction.
“I don’t know why they (selectors) broke that partnership which was doing well for India. I certainly believe that you have to bring ‘Kulcha’ back, Kuldeep and Yuzvendra, I think they have been brilliant for team India. When they played together, they took wickets in the middle overs, whether it was T20s, ODIs or any format, they played together, they were very successful. It will be great to see them bowling in Australia, where the grounds are big and they both are quality bowlers. Their mentality is always to take wickets,” Harbhajan Singh shared at the launch event of Dream Set Go.
Harbhajan Singh also weighs in on Umran Malik’s selection
Meanwhile, 21-year-old youngster Umran Malik has been doing exceptionally well so far. He bowled at 157 kmph – the fastest delivery of the tournament – against the Delhi Capitals on Thursday and he has been consistently clocking in 150kmph as well.
“He (Umran Malik) is my favourite. I want to see him in the Indian team because of what a bowler he is. Tell me any one bowler who bowls more than 150 (kmph) and isn’t playing for the country. So I think, it is a great great thing and he will inspire many youngsters to take up this game, where he has come from and what he is doing in the IPL, he is unbelievable. I don’t know whether he will be selected or not, but if I were a part of the selection committee, I would have given a go ahead. Umran Malik should be the partner with Jasprit Bumrah when India plays in Australia,” Harbhajan Singh further added.
Bhajji has his say on Chennai Super Kings
On the other hand, the veteran also believes that it will be difficult for the franchise to find a replacement for MS Dhoni in the upcoming years. Notably, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had a rather forgettable tournament as they lost seven matches out of their 10 matches. And, after losing back-to-back matches Ravindra Jadeja stepped down and MS Dhoni returned to the helm once again.
He said to News18, “When you have a captain like MS Dhoni, it is difficult to get someone and expect that person to replicate what Dhoni has been doing. To replace him as a captain (in CSK) is going to be a tough decision. It is a big shoes to fill. I still feel he is the best captain in IPL. They tried with Ravindra Jadeja but failed and they have gone back to MS which is a great thing. It is going to be interesting to see how CSK performs beyond Dhoni. When we talk about Dhoni’s captaincy he has won the T20 World cup, the World Cup and even Champions Trophy and has been so successful in IPL. A lot of credit goes to him who has been running the show for so many years. He will always be in the dugout with CSK but being there and being on field are two different things.”