It did surprise everyone when the selection committee of BCCI picked up Harbhajan Singh for the Indian Squad for the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and two international T20s against New Zealand at home.
Well the decision is sure to make few eyes roll as Harbhajan who is on a sabbatical from international cricket for almost a year now, has not done much in the domestic circuit to pave a comeback.
He had a below par Indian Premier League season and in 17 matches he just took six wickets at an economy rate of 7.11. Even his stint with Essex at the English County Championship also was not that fruitful for him and his best bowling till date in England has been three for 29 in a 40 over match.
So, his form in the recent past has surely not ruffled the selectors and his inclusion has totally been based on experience and class rather than form.
For a record, Harbhajan has a total 683 international wickets which makes him the second most successful spinner of India after Anil Kumble. And also the fact that he has been pretty successful in the past in international T20s might have interested Srikkanth and co.
He has scalped 18 wickets in 23 matches in international t20 fixtures and was leading the pack of highest wicket takers for India in this form of the game until recently when Irfan Pathan overtook him.
And moreover he was the part of the team which won the inaugural T20 World Cup 50 over World Cup in 2011.
Indian selector’s decision to go with class rather than form is something that is based on instinct and the gamble looks like that it will work for them.
Harbhajan is a class apart and there is no doubting that. He must have been going through a lean phase but then it does not take a player of his stature to turn the tides around. Well it can be argued that he had been in horrendous form post 2011 Cricket World Cup and why was he picked in the squad.
Well if one remembers that he was going through a bad phase even ahead of the World Cup, but then his ability to deliver at crunch situations and his experience at the highest level of international cricket proved very useful for India’s successful campaign.
It is obvious for a player that he cannot keep up the same level of performance throughout their career Harbhajan has got a chance to prove his critics wrong once again in his career.
