Veteran India cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a tour to forget as both of them gave dismal batting performances throughout the 5 Tests. However, the duo are still expected to be a part of India’s squad for the England Test series which will be played in June due to their ‘superstar’ status.

Harbhajan said that selection for the away series against England should completely be dependent on performances. He even went on to say that if players get picked just because of their reputation, then legendary cricketers like Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev can also find a place in the squad.

“There is a superstar culture which has developed. We don’t need superstars, we need performers. If the team has them (performers), it will move forward. Whoever wants to become a superstar should stay at home and play cricket there,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“There is a tour of England coming up. Now everyone has started talking about what will happen in England, who will go, who will not go. For me, it is a simple matter. Only players who are performing should go. You can’t keep picking players on their reputation,” Harbhajan said.

“If you do that, then you should take Kapil Dev sir and Anil bhai also. Here, the BCCI and the selectors will have to be firm and act tough. I don’t think that the superstar attitude is taking the team forward,” Harbhajan further said.

It will be interesting to see whether Rohit and Virat will still feature for the Men in Blue for the England tour or the team will undergo major changes for the important Test series against The Three Lions.

The post ‘Stay at home and play cricket’: Harbhajan Singh BLASTS ‘superstar culture’ in Indian team appeared first on Cricket Country.

A player that Ashwin was compared to throughout his career was former India spinner Harbhajan Singh. Throughout the years, it has been rumoured that the two do not get along.

However, shortly after Ashwin’s retirement, Harbhajan cleared the air, saying there is no truth to such claims.

“I read social media only as much as I need to. If there is a standoff between me and Ashwin or if there was ever any fight, quarrel or disagreement, I would be the first person to go up to him and ask what the issue is,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“But it was never like this, and it will never be like this because whatever is in his destiny, he will get it, and I got whatever was in my destiny. He has been a phenomenal bowler for India. I am very happy for his achievement,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan clarified that he does not have any problems with Ashwin and added that he isn’t a fan of the management for preparing tracks that heavily favour the spinners on home soil as it leads to the Test match finishing in just 2-3 days.

“If people twist things on Twitter and make it seem as if I have a problem with Ashwin, then it’s their point of view. I am a little vocal about the fact that the pitches on which India play cricket are not good tracks, there is a lot of spin on these tracks and matches get over within two and a half days,” Harbhajan said.

“Because I am vocal about it, there is a lot of noise on social media, and people think I have a problem with one individual. I don’t have a problem with any individual, I respect everyone because it is not easy to play for the country. They are all my colleagues. They are all my brothers, some elder, some younger,” Harbhajan added.

The post ‘The issue is…’: Ex-India star breaks silence on rumoured rift with Ravichandran Ashwin appeared first on Cricket Country.

Harbhajan had gone to the nets to share information about the training that Virat and Gill were going through, he revealed that Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and sidearm specialists were seen bowling to both the batters in the nets.

Kohli got out with plating a cover drive on a delivery way outside the off-stump. Even though there have been lot of calls from former cricketers for Kohli to restrain himself from playing a cover drive, the veteran batter does not want to give up on it like legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar did two decades ago in Sydney.

“They have been hitting a lot of balls here. Why are they here? They haven’t been scoring a lot of runs in this series. India need Virat and Gill to fire. It’s so good to see them at the practice session even when Team India is batting out there. They are here in the nets, hitting a lot of balls. You can feel good by hitting a lot of balls. When you are not in form, you can feel better by hitting a lot of balls,” Harbhajan told the broadcasters.

“I hope these practice sessions will bring what India needs in the middle,” he added.

#HarbhajanSingh shares his mantra: The more you play, the better you get. Watch as he reviews #ViratKohli & #ShubmanGill putting in the hard yards in the nets!#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 3rd Test, Day 4 | LIVE NOW on Star Sports! #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/hKm7IVHvBd

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 17, 2024

Kohli has struggled in the first innings of all the Tests played in the ongoing 2024-25 season. He has an average of 9.12 in the first innings, and his highest score is 47 against Bangladesh during this period. the only big score made by Kohli was his single century that came in the second innings of the Perth Test.

The post WATCH: Virat Kohli seen practicing his Technique for Cover Drive in nets during Day 4 of Gabba Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

In the first Test, Washington Sundar was given a chance over veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Then, in the second match, Ashwin replaced Sundar before he himself got replaced by Jadeja in the third Test.

When asked about his opinion on constant changes in the team, Harbhajan said that India’s team selection for in particular the 3rd Test, was ‘unacceptable’.

“If I respond to this question, headlines would be made. Don’t think what happened was right. Sundar played the first Test but your prime spinners were (R) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja. You played Sundar but should’ve persisted with him. You dropped him to bring Ashwin in, who didn’t bowl bad by any means. I thought Ashwin or Sundar should’ve been picked for the third Test but Jadeja was picked. It has become a big question for me,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.

“Maybe they (Team India) don’t trust any spinner. One has over 300 wickets, other over 500 wickets. This team selection isn’t acceptable to me. I wanted to see either Ashwin or Sundar. Now that Jadeja has been picked, I hope he plays next match too as chopping on changing would lower the confidence of players,” Harbhajan added.

It will be interesting to see if The Men in Blue will continue with Jadeja for the fourth Test or bring back either Ashwin or Sundar.

The post ‘They don’t trust any spinner’: Ex-India star gives MASSIVE statement on team selection for Brisbane Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli and Harbhajan were seen giggling with each other as they were having some banter. Even Jatin Sapru intervened midway. As Kohli showed the dance move, it looked like he also asked the latter to repeat the steps.

Virat Kohli having fun with Harbhajan Singh. 😂❤️ #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/MjdmGcItlX

— Tejash (@Cricmemer45) December 14, 2024

For the third Test of the series, India had won the toss and Rohit Sharma had decided to bowl first. The weather conditions and pitch had suggested that the pacers will get some sort of assistance from this pitch, but this decision by Rohit was something which did not go well with lot of experts.

It was an unfortunate fate of luck that the Day 1 of the Gabba Test could not see enough action, as the match got called off due to heavy rains. Only 13.2 overs were bowled on Day 1 before rain interrupted and never stopped for the whole day.

The post WATCH: Virat Kohli ‘s fun Moment with Harbhajan Singh, Dances before the Gabba Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Rohit joined the Indian squad after missing the first Test in Perth, and got dismissed cheaply as he scored just nine runs in two innings during the pink-ball Test against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Harbhajan Singh believes that Rohit worries about his performance in the longest format of the game. The Indian captain is going through a low phase of his career in Test cricket format.

“As a captain, I would like Rohit Sharma to make runs. When he scores runs, he will think better and do better things. No matter how big a player is, he is always worried about his performance. There is no doubt that when a player scores runs, he makes a better decision. So, let’s hope that Rohit Sharma scores some runs so that his captaincy gets better,” said Harbhajan Singh.

Rohit Sharma has made 597 runs in 12 Tests and 23 innings, that have come in at an average of 27.13. He has scored two centuries and two half centuries with a best score of 131.

The post ‘How big a Player is…’: Former Indian World Cup-winning Player makes small Suggestion to Rohit Sharma before IND v AUS 3rd Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli, who was only able to score a total of 18 runs in the second Test which was wrapped up by Australia inside 3 days of cricket, has been practicing really hard in the nets.

In fact, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh revealed that Kohli has been preparing differently to counter his poor run of form Down Under.

Harbhajan revealed that Kohli has been preparing for the excess bounce that the pitch in Brisbane is likely to produce by testing his backfoot defense extensively in the nets.

“Yes, whatever little I have seen him batting in the nets today. I have played a lot of cricket with him. He is a front-foot player. Knowing the bounce on Indian soil, you have to be on your front foot. The people who have played here, the likes of Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Langer, Hayden. They were good back foot players, because of the bounce. It is the kind of bounce you get in Australia, you have to be good player of bounce. You need to have a good backfoot game. That’s what he was practicing,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

The former India cricketer also believes that Kohli can make a comeback in the upcoming Test in Brisbane as he is putting great efforts in practice.

The post Virat Kohli makes MASSIVE change in technique ahead of Gabba Test? Harbhajan Singh explains appeared first on Cricket Country.

Following the incident, both players escaped a suspension, however had sanctions imposed on them by the ICC. The duo was also given one demerit point each for the heated verbal exchange.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes that the ICC is bit too strict on the players and added that both Siraj and Head have already patched up, so it is time to move on from the incident.

“Well, I think ICC is a bit too strict on players. These things happen in the ground. Obviously, forget what has happened and move forward. The players have patched up and talked to each other. Anyways, ICC being ICC has sanctioned the players. Let’s put that aside now and let’s move forward which is obviously, Brisbane. Let’s focus on cricket rather than all these controversies. Enough is enough,” Harbhajan said.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Ravi Shastri stated that both Siraj and Head are mature individuals and have already settled things between them.

“I’m sure Siraj and Head are mature individuals who will deal with it and the dust would have settled already. If anything, I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler after he’d been hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That’s the fast bowler’s temperament. You want it to be like that,” Shastri wrote in a column for CODE Sports.

Following Australia’s thumping 10-wicket victory over India in Adelaide, the series has been levelled at 1-1. All eyes now are on the third Test that is set to be played in Brisbane from December 14.

The post “ICC is a bit too strict”: Ex-India star reacts to sanctions imposed on Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head appeared first on Cricket Country.

The 37-year-old’s Test form has been a talking point since India’s humiliating series whitewash against New Zealand at home. In that series, Rohit again disappointed with the bat and was only able to score 91 runs in 6 innings.

Harbhajan highlighted that Rohit’s poor form is a cause for concern and added that the batter not scoring runs will only end up putting more pressure on him.

“When such a big player doesn’t score runs, it will become a slight cause for concern. We know that Rohit has great ability and has scored a lot of runs for India. However, he didn’t score runs in this match and the previous series as well. When the runs are not scored, the pressure comes on the batter,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.

“We won’t want the Indian captain to have the pressure of scoring his own runs, as it could affect his captaincy as well. We hope that he comes back to form. The conditions at other venues like Brisbane might suit him more. He needs to leave this match behind and think about what better can be done going forward and how the team can play better because the team is more important than his form,” Harbhajan added.

The defeat in the Adelaide Test was Rohit’s fourth consecutive defeat as captain in the longest format which made him only the sixth Indian captain to lose 4 or more Tests in a row.

The post ‘A cause for concern…’: Ex-India star gives BRUTAL verdict on Rohit Sharma’s poor form appeared first on Cricket Country.

Harbhajan and Dhoni have played together for more than a decade, and having spent so much time together, but Harbhajn’s remarks were clear indicator that this scenario did not happen with him and Dhoni. The legendary spinner added that he had spoken to Dhoni during his short time with CSK from 2018-20200, but it was only on-field and both the players did not meet after the match.

“No, I don’t speak to Dhoni. When I was playing at CSK, that’s when we spoke, but otherwise, we haven’t spoken. It’s been 10 years and more. I have no reason; perhaps he does. I don’t know what the reasons are. When we were playing in the IPL at CSK, that’s when we used to talk, and that, too, was restricted to the ground. After that, he did not come to my room, nor did I go to his,” said Harbhajan.

The 44-year-old added by saying that a relationship in a give or take and that if he respects someone, then he hopes to get the respect back. He also stated how he only meets people as much as he is needed if they do not respect him.

“I don’t have anything against him. If he has something to say, he can tell me. But if he did, he would have told me by now. I never tried to call him because I have a lot of passion. I only ring up those who pick up my calls. I don’t have the time otherwise. I stay in touch with the ones I am friends with. A relationship is always about give and take. If I respect you, I hope you will respect me back. Or you respond to me. But if I call you once or twice but don’t get a response, I will probably only meet you as much as I am needed to,” he added,

Strangers can become best friends just as easy as best friends can become strangers….

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 5, 2024

As this was not enough to digest at once, Harbhajan’s post on X has fueled the rumors of break between him and Dhoni even more. While Harbhajan did not mention Dhoni is his post, it did not take much time for fans to understand and link this post to the former Indian cricketer.

The post ‘Friends can become Strangers’: Harbhajan Singh’s strange Social media post Sparks chances of breaking with MS Dhoni appeared first on Cricket Country.