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The Indian team management as well as the senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have come under scrutiny after their dismissal run in the recently-concluded five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. After series of poor run with the bat, the two senior players’ position in the Test team as come under watch, especially with several former cricketers hitting at them.
Among many, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has also opined that the management should select players based on their performances, rather than picking them based on their seniority in the side. He also advised that the senior players should play domestic or county cricket prior to such big series.
Virat or Rohit, no player is bigger than the game: Harbhajan fumes at star culture
The former India off-spinner has come heavy on the senior players, stating, "The selection should be based on the performance, whether Virat or Rohit. No player is bigger than the game, even if they think they are superstars in their minds.” “If you want to take senior players on tour, you have to make sure they play county cricket before the England series," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
He also stood by the statement made by former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who claimed that the Indian team should get rid of the star culture. Singh added that these players should feature in county cricket seeing India’s next red-ball assignment in June. In eight innings, Virat Kohli scored 190 runs at an average of 23.75. In his batting innings, Kohli was dismissed in a similar fashion in seven of them, getting out in single-digit scores in five innings. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma managed only 31 runs across three Tests down under.
