Harbhajan Singh urges Rohit Sharma to drop Harshit Rana for India vs New Zealand match
Published - 02 Mar 2025, 11:45 AM | Updated - 02 Mar 2025, 11:36 PM
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh wanted the Rohit Sharma-led team to make one change for the upcoming match against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Harbhajan said that the Indian team should include mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in place of a pacer in their playing XI.
India and New Zealand have secured spots in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. The Rohit Sharma-led team will face the Blackcaps in the last group-stage match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 2. Notably, the winner will lock horns with Australia in the semi-finals.
Harbhajan Singh Urges Rohit Sharma to Make Changes in Playing XI
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said that Varun Chakravarthy should replace Harshit Rana in the playing XI. Singh added that Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami should share the new ball. He also stated that New Zealand struggles against spin, which could work in India’s favor.
"Think we might get to see Varun Chakravarthy get a chance in the playing XI. Maybe Gautam Gambhir would think that New Zealand don't play spin that well," Harbhajan Singh said.
"So it can also happen that four spinners play here. Hardik had bowled well against Pakistan. He has to bowl just seven or eight overs. If Hardik shares the new ball with Shami and then we have four spinners, I think that will be a good option," he added.
Harbhajan's predicted India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Toss Will Be a Big Factor in Dubai as Well - Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh said the toss is crucial in the match between India and New Zealand. The 44-year-old stated that the team winning it should opt to bat first. He revealed that the pitch will get slower as the game progresses, which will favor spinners in the second innings.
"Toss will be a big factor in Dubai as well because of how the heat has been increasing. In this heat, this pitch will be even slower. So whichever team wins the toss, they should look to bat first. Bat first and score runs. India, hopefully, would be thinking from that perspective. As the sun sets, the pitch will be useful for the spinners," Singh added.
India's Record Against Australia, South Africa in Semi-Finals of ICC Tournaments
The losing team will face Group B table-toppers South Africa in the semifinals. India’s semifinal is set to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. Meanwhile, the second semifinal, featuring New Zealand, will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, March 5.
India and Australia last met in a semifinal during the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia, where India were knocked out after a 95-run defeat. India faced South Africa in the semifinals of two major tournaments—the 2002 Champions Trophy campaign in Colombo and the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
