Should Indian cricketers play County Cricket before England tour? Check details

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 ended in disappointment for the Indian team, marking the end of their decade-long dominance over Australia. The Australians clinched the series 3-1, a result that not only broke India's winning streak but also dashed their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Australia, having secured their place, will now face South Africa at Lord's. This crushing loss has sparked significant debate within Indian cricket circles, with many questioning the team selection and management’s approach throughout the series. Despite some individual performances, the overall team strategy has been called into question. Critics are particularly concerned about how certain players were selected for the five-match series, especially given the inconsistent form of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Former World Champion and commentator Harbhajan Singh expressed his concerns about the selection process, emphasizing that team selection should be based on current form and performances rather than past reputations. He pointed out that the underperformance of stalwarts like Kohli and Sharma was a matter of concern, with both failing to make a significant impact in the series. Harbhajan stressed that consistency in form should be the guiding factor when it comes to selecting players, especially in a high-stakes series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“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," former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.

Harbhajan Singh also voiced his concerns about India’s two-spinner strategy in the final Test at Sydney, calling it an odd decision given the conditions. He pointed out that the pitch at the SCG, which traditionally offers extra bounce and seam movement, seemed more suited to fast bowlers rather than spinners. Harbhajan questioned the logic behind playing two spinners, especially when the fast bowlers were extracting good bounce and movement off the surface.

He noted that with the pitch favoring pace bowlers, India could have strengthened their attack by adding an additional seamer, which might have been more effective in exploiting the conditions. Instead, the decision to field both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja left the Indian bowling attack somewhat unbalanced, particularly in the absence of an extra fast bowler who could have created pressure with pace and bounce. Harbhajan emphasized that selecting the right team based on the conditions should always be a priority, and in this case, a stronger emphasis on pace attack would likely have been more beneficial. He also pointed out that team management needed to be more flexible and responsive to the conditions at hand, especially in a crucial series-deciding match like the one in Sydney.

“How was selection done? Was there any point in playing two spinners in Sydney on this pitch where they didn't even bowl? So, to extend your batting, you added spinners because they can bat. But you didn't see if there was another good seamer, things could have been better. They are stuck to stubbornness. This is not the T20 format. Test cricket is played differently," Harbhajan added.