Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has slammed veteran batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their disappointing performances during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Harbhajan Singh stated that selection should be based on performance rather than a player's status or reputation.
India lost the fifth Test in Sydney by six wickets, losing the series 1–3 down. This was India's first Test series loss in Australia since the 2014–15 series. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both faltered when the team needed them most, leading to questions about their positions in the Indian Test lineup.
Whether Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, no player is bigger than the game – Harbhajan Singh
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said that no player, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, should be considered bigger than the game. Harbhajan added that if the selectors decide to include senior players in the England tour, they must ensure that these players play county cricket.
“Selection should be based on performance, whether it's 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 in the tournament, you have to make sure that he was playing county cricket before the England series,” Harbhajan said.
Rohit Sharma, who played both as an opener and a middle-order batsman, managed just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.2. He scored 164 runs in the last 15 Test innings at an average of 10.93 with a half-century.
Virat Kohli scored a total of 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 despite scoring an unbeaten century in the first Test in Perth. He got out in a similar manner as he bowled eight deliveries off the off-stump. Kohli has scored 359 runs in his last 15 Test innings at an average of 27.61.
They are stuck by stubbornness – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has questioned the team management's decision to play two spinners on a pace-friendly pitch in Sydney. Singh added that the team should have considered picking another good seamer who could have been more effective.
“How was the selection made? Did it make any sense to play 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 seamstress, things could have been better. They are stubbornly stuck. This is not the format of Test cricket, he added.
The series would have ended 5-0 – Harbhajan Singh
The 44-year-old praised Jasprit Bumrah for his exceptional bowling, stating that India would probably have lost the series 5-0 or 4-0 without him. Singh called Bumrah a “national treasure” and credited him for saving India at several key moments during the series.
“If Jasprit Bumrah was not in this tournament, the series would have ended 5-0. Jassi saved India in Perth. After Adelaide, he saved India in the rest of the matches. If he was not in the series, India would have saved . we lost either 5-0 or 4-0,” Harbhajan said.
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