Rahul Dravid namedropped as Harbhajan Singh blames Gautam Gambhir for India’s downfall

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that India should leave behind the policy of selecting the player based on his reputation. He also wondered what went wrong suddenly in Gautam Gambhir's tenure after a great period under Rahul Dravid as the team's head coach.

Harbhajan didn't take any names but it was clear that he was talking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both of them are world-class names in the world of cricket which makes it difficult to drop them.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a poor time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy recently where they were way below par with the bat. Their disappointing returns didn't help India's cause as they suffered a 1-3 series defeat to Australia.

Also read: Nitish Kumar Reddy snubbed as Michael Vaughan picks combined XI from Border-Gavaskar Trophy

"Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid" - Harbhajan Singh

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh wondered what went wrong for Indian cricket suddenly in the tenure of Gautam Gambhir after a successful period under Rahul Dravid.

"Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid was there. India won the (T20) World Cup, and everything was fine. But what happened suddenly?" Harbhajan asked.

"In the past six months, we lost to Sri Lanka, a series whitewash against New Zealand, and now a 3-1 defeat in Australia. Everything seems to have fallen apart," he noted.

India won the T20 World Cup 2024 when Rahul Dravid was the team's head coach. It was also Dravid's last tenure as head coach of the team and he left on a high. Under Dravid, India also made it to the ODI World Cup 2023 final where they suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Australia.

Harbhajan Singh asks India to "leave behind the superstar attitude"

Further speaking in the video, Harbhajan Singh asked the selectors not to pick the team on reputation and instead focus on the player's performances to pick a squad. He also questioned the decision not to give chances to players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan in the Test series against Australia.

"Every player has a reputation. If this is the thing, then add Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, or those who have been India's biggest match-winners. BCCI and selectors should take hold. India should leave behind the superstar attitude," Harbhajan stated.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran was taken on tour, but he didn't play. He can become a player for India if he is given the opportunity. Sarfaraz is the same case. The player who performs should go (to England). You should not pick players on reputation," he claimed.

Abhimanyu Easwaran was in line to play the first Test when Rohit Sharma was absent but India preferred to play KL Rahul. Rahul performed exceedingly well in the match to cement his position at the top.

Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retire from Tests?

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were big flops in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of 23.75 while Rohit scored 31 runs at an average of 6.20.

Both the players are superstars of Indian cricket and it won't be easy for the selectors to drop them. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't shown any signs of retirement despite their poor returns in the series.

India's next Test series will be played in June on the tour of England. It remains to be seen whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make it to the series or the selectors decide to make a harsh decision.