"Be nice to them, don't criticize them too much"- Harbhajan Singh urges fans not to make negative comments about Indian players after WTC Final loss
Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh urged fans not to make too many negative comments about the Indian players who lost the World Test Championship Final against Australia.
India suffered a big defeat in the WTC Final 2023 against Australia at The Oval. Despite having one of the best squads in the world, the Rohit Sharma-led side fell short of an ICC trophy once again.
Fans have slammed Team India on social media after their 209-run loss against Australia. Speaking on his YouTube channel after the team's loss, Harbhajan said it would be wrong to blame the players entirely because they did not receive enough time to prepare for the big game.
"Everyone is hurt after this loss. You are hurt, I am hurt, every Indian is hurt, but the individuals who have been impacted the most are the players. Be nice to them. Don't criticize them too much. We have to support them in this tough period," Singh said.
"It is wrong to blame the players entirely because I think their preparation could have been better. We saw that the Indian team came here just a week after IPL. There is a lot of difference between 4-over spells and bowling 20 overs. The same goes for batting in T20s and Tests. Captain Rohit Sharma said the same thing in the press conference," he added.
"There has to be some reason behind it" - Harbhajan Singh questions India's batting performance in ICC Finals
It has been a decade since India won a major ICC trophy. The Men in Blue have qualified for the finals on multiple occasions but have fallen short always. Speaking about the same on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said:
"India has not won any ICC trophy after 2013. There has to be some reason behind it. The batters have not performed their best in the big game. You can win as many bilateral series as you want, be it in India, Australia, or New Zealand, but unless you win a big ICC tournament, you are disappointed."
Harbhajan concluded by saying that fans have every right to discuss what went wrong in the game, but making harsh comments on the players was not the right way to go.