Harbhajan Singh made these remarks after India failed to defend a total of 359 in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur.
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has questioned the team management for not picking Mohammed Shami despite the pacer showcasing excellent form in domestic cricket. Shami, who last represented India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, has taken nine wickets in five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, including a four-wicket haul.
Harbhajan criticised the management for repeatedly overlooking quality bowlers, suggesting that India currently lacks proven match-winners with the ball, a concern he believes must be addressed urgently. He emphasised that consistently ignoring in-form bowlers like Shami could hurt the team’s balance and effectiveness in crucial moments.
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“Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing. I get it, you have Prasidh, he is a good bowler, but he still has a lot to learn. You had good bowlers, and you have slowly sidelined them. With Bumrah, this is a different bowling attack, and without Bumrah, it is an entirely different attack altogether. We have to learn the art of winning games without Jasprit Bumrah,” said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
“In England, without Bumrah, Siraj was unbelievable, fantastic. India won all the Tests where Bumrah did not feature. But, in shorter formats, we need to find people who can win you games, whether it be fast bowling or spin. Find spinners who can come in and take wickets. There is Kuldeep, but what about the rest?,” he added.
Harbhajan also suggested that India should consider bringing Varun Chakravarthy back into the ODI setup. He made these remarks after India failed to defend a total of 359 in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. The visitors levelled the three-match series, with the decider scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 6, in Visakhapatnam.
“Bring in Varun Chakaravarthy in ODIs as well, you already have him in T20Is, so try him in ODIs also,” Harbhajan said.
In the first ODI in Ranchi, all three pacers, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna, conceded more than six runs per over. The situation worsened in the second ODI, where Rana went for seven runs an over and Prasidh leaked ten per over, significantly hurting India’s defence of the total.
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