Harbhajan Singh picks his Indian XI for 1st Test vs West Indies; no place for Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel
Harbhajan Singh has picked his preferred Indian XI for the first Test against the West Indies. All-rounders Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel failed to find a place in his team.
The first Test of the two-match series will be played in Roseau from Wednesday, July 12. It will be Rohit Sharma and Co.'s first game since their loss in the World Test Championship final and they will hope to begin their campaign in the new cycle on a winning note.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan opined that Shubman Gill should continue to open alongside Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal should bat at No. 3:
"According to me, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill should open and Yashasvi Jaiswal should play at No. 3. A lot of people were saying that Yashasvi should be made to open and Shubman should be played down the order - I don't think so because Shubman has made it his own place."
While hoping that Jaiswal is among the runs if he gets a debut, the former Indian spinner expectedly picked Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively:
"He (Gill) has got that position based on his performance. So his position should not be touched. I will play Yashasvi at No. 3. I hope he makes his debut and scores a lot of runs. He is a very good player. After that, Virat Kohli will play at No. 4 and Ajinkya Rahane will play at No. 5."
Kohli has scored 463 runs at a below-par average of 35.61 in the nine Tests he has played in the West Indies. On the flip side, Rahane has an exceptional record in the Caribbean, having amassed 514 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 102.80 in six Tests.
"He has been performing in domestic cricket for a long time" - Harbhajan Singh wants India to play Jaydev Unadkat as one of the seamers
Harbhajan Singh chose Jaydev Unadkat to accompany the expected trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj in the bowling department:
"Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6, R Ashwin or KS Bharat at No. 7. If Ashwin bats at No. 7, then KS Bharat at No. 8. Then I will see Mohammed Siraj at No. 9. Along with him, I will see Jaydev Unadkat because he has been performing in domestic cricket for a long time and he hasn't got many opportunities."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by picking Mukesh Kumar as the third seamer in his bowling lineup:
"So I hope he gets an opportunity to play there and he shows what he can do. So I will keep Unadkat in the team and at No. 11, I will keep Mukesh Kumar. He has also performed extremely well in the Ranji Trophy due to which he has got a chance to show his prowess in the Indian team."
Harbhajan Singh's Indian XI for the 1st Test: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Srikar Bharat, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar