The selectors have also opted to give youngsters an opportunity for the Proteas series.
The national selectors announced the India squad for the upcoming South Africa tour yesterday (November 30). While a few youngsters received maiden call-ups, a notable veteran also made a comeback to the India setup.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who was overlooked for the recently concluded ODI World Cup and Asia Cup, has now been named in the Indian team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa. Notably, the selectors have chosen not to include him in the T20I squad for the same series.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, reacting to Chahal’s reinstatement in the ODIs, appears unimpressed with the decision. He expressed surprise over Chahal’s exclusion from the T20Is.
“There is no Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20 format. You kept him in ODIs but not T20Is. They just gave him a lollypop to suck on. We won’t take in the format where you do well but will take for other formats. It’s beyond my understanding,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
The selectors have also opted to move on from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane as both the experienced batters were left out of the Test squad in the South Africa series. Rahane, who contributed significantly with a score of 89 in the World Test Championship final is likely to have played his final Test alongside Pujara.
Harbhajan opines that the road to a comeback for Rahane and Pujara into the national side will be challenging. He suggests that the cricket board should have communicated the future prospects to them more transparently.
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“South Africa tour is not easy. It’s tough for batters. There you won’t have Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Youth are indeed getting opportunities. It’s a good thing. But I don’t think that selectors had a chat with Rahane, Pujara, or Umesh Yadav because whenever Yadav has played in Tests, he has performed.”
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