Harbhajan confused by selectors’ decisions
Nair, who was on bench in England, dropped for Windies Test series
Senior India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday said that he is finding it “difficult to understand” the parameters used by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee for picking the national squad.
After spending time on the bench for six consecutive Test matches against Afghanistan and England, the selectors dropped Karun Nair for the West Indies Test series.
“This is a mystery that needs to be solved,” Harbhajan said. “How can a person sitting on the bench for three months become so bad that he is not good enough to remain in the squad. Trust me, I am at pains to understand the thinking of this selection committee and the parameters that they are using for selecting national squads.”
Harbhajan feels for the young Nair, who remains the only Indian, apart from Virender Sehwag, to have a triple hundred in Test cricket. “I find different set of rules for different players. There are some who are given a long rope to succeed while for select others they don’t even get one chance to fail. That is not fair,” Harbhajan said.
Harbhajan then put forth a hypothetical question. “What if Hanuma Vihari fails in two Test matches against West Indies? Though I would never wish something like that for any player. I wish him (Vihari) all the very best. You will go back to Nair but will he be battle ready with confidence for Australia tour?”