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Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman left on a bitter note, thinks Harbhajan Singh
By Shruti - Dec 18, 2019 10:29 am
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India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was a key player of India in his time, conceded that Indian cricket must learn to respect its champion players who have played a key part in country’s triumphs in the past. While talking to Agenda AajTak 2019, Harbhajan Singh said that big players like Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman left on a bitter note. VVS Laxman had announced his retirement from the game way back in 2012. Laxman’s retirement raised the controversy as he revealed that he failed to establish a communication with MS Dhoni, the then captain of India.

Harbhajan
Harbhajan Singh

Gautam Gambhir had also announced his retirement in 2018 from all forms of cricket, 2 years after playing his last international game for India. Harbhajan added that many players from the 2011 World Cup-winning team could have played the next World Cup. The Indian selection panel led by Sandeep Patil had dropped Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir in the 2015 ICC World Cup. Only four members of the 2011 squad — MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Ravichandran Ashwin – were retained in the 2015 World Cup squad.

“Many players from the 2011 World Cup could have played the next World Cup. Like Me and Yuvi, Gambhir, certainly we could have played the next world cup but we were dropped. I don’t know what was the agenda of leaving us all aside. It was like your work is done now you can leave. We have to make a new team. Why do you need a new team? You need it when the team has not won. We won the World Cup and you should take the team forward,” Harbhajan Singh said at Agenda AajTak in New Delhi.

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Harbhajan Singh said that the experienced players are needed in the side to make sure that even when the situation becomes critical, they can take the right decision.

“Yuvi said that you can’t have too many youth and young players and expect them to win the World Cup. You have to have experience in the side to make sure that even when the crunch situation comes, they can make the right decision and do the needful for the team to win the World Cup. And basically, I don’t what was the agenda, what was the motive? And whose was it? I don’t know. Even if I knew who was behind this agenda, I will never reveal it on such a big stage,” Harbhajan Singh added.

“These things have been happening in Indian cricket and it continues till date. You need to change these things because the Champions who made India win, should be respected. But his is not the case in India,” he concluded.