Harbhajan said Kuldeep should stop taking man of the match award to avoid being dropped
Surprised at Kuldeep Yadav’s omission from the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, former veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh feels whether it would be better if the left-arm wrist spinner didn’t win the man-of-the-match award or take a five-wicket haul. Do not crack Returning to Test cricket after 22 months, Kuldeep took eight wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, including five for 40 in the first innings.
He also made a useful contribution of 40 runs with the bat but was dropped from the squad for the second Test in order to include Saurashtra pacer Jaydev Unadkat in the playing XI. Harbhajan, one of India’s greatest spinners, looked fuming with the decision to drop Kuldeep. Asked for his reaction, Harbhajan sarcastically told PTI, “I think Kuldeep should stop taking five wickets from now on.” Who knows, this may give him a chance to play two consecutive Test matches.
He said, “The last time he took five wickets against Australia in Sydney (five for 99) in a different condition before the Chittagong Test. He should have been India’s number one spinner in overseas conditions but had to wait for more than two years to play a Test. Now he got a chance to play Test again after almost two years and he was again dropped from the team. Will be happy to know the logic behind it.
Pacer Umesh Yadav and the returning Unadkat took six wickets together but spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also picked up four, showing that it was not entirely a pace-friendly pitch. Some balls of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan also turned very fast. Harbhajan feels that ‘security’ has become just a word in Indian cricket. He said, “I do not want to name any player but in the Test structure some players get longer chances, even for five years.
In the case of Kuldeep, it seems that the duration of such protection is only five days. If someone is dropped even after taking eight wickets then how will he feel safe. Can he play fearlessly when the team management has instilled fear in him. Harbhajan said he agreed that Bangladesh’s team is not strong enough in the Test format but dropping a performer would send the wrong message among the young players.
