Harbhajan Singh weighs in on Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence from South Africa T20I squad

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh recently expressed his thoughts on the exclusion of Yuzvendra Chahal from the upcoming three-match T20I series against South Africa.

Harbhajan highlighted the fact that despite Chahal’s impressive performances in T20Is, he has once again been overlooked. Nevertheless, he expressed his satisfaction at seeing the leg-spinner’s return to the One Day International (ODI) side.

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said:

“There is no Yuzvendra Chahal in T20 format. You kept him in ODIs but not T20Is. Lollyop de diya bande ko (They gave him lollypop).”

“Aap jo format me acha karte hain wo nahi khilayenge baki ka format khilayenge (We won’t take in the format where you do well but will take for other formats). Ye mere samajh se pare hain (It’s beyond my understanding),” he added.

Yuzvendra Chahal holds the record for being India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is, having taken an impressive 96 wickets in 80 matches, with an economy rate of 8.19. In the One Day Internationals (ODIs), Chahal has scalped 121 wickets in 72 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 5.26.

Harbhajan Singh appeared dissatisfied with the selection committee’s decision to overlook Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Umesh Yadav for the two-match Test series against South Africa.

Harbhajan believes that the selection committee should have engaged in a discussion with the senior players prior to finalizing the Test squad.

“South Africa tour is not easy. It’s tough for batters,” Harbhajan Singh said. “There you won’t have Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Youth are indeed getting opportunities. It’s a good thing. But I don’t think that selectors had a chat with Rahane, Pujara, or Umesh Yadav because whenever Yadav has played in Tests, he has performed.”

“I think the road is tough for a comeback (for these three players),” the cricketer-turned-commentator continued. “However, they have served Indian cricket, and are renowned cricketers. The board should have had a chat with them. They should have been informed why they are not picked and what is a possible path for them in their careers.”

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