Harbhajan Singh is regarded as one of the best Indian spinners of the 21st century. He was India’s first-choice spinner for a long time and played a crucial role in India’s 2011 World Cup-winning campaign. He is still very much part of the cricketing scene with the Chennai Super Kings and will represent the 3-time IPL winners in the upcoming IPL season. So, it is safe to say that he knows a thing or two about spinners and can spot talented bowler when he sees one.
Harbhajan Singh is unhappy with the current crop as he slammed the selectors for selecting Washington Sundar in recent times instead of traditional spinners like Jalaj Saxena and Akshay Wakhare.
The CSK player is of the opinion that Washington doesn’t spin the ball, so players like Saxena and Wakhare should be given a chance ahead of him as they can lure the batsmen to come out of their crease with their spin.
“They pick this guy called Washington Sundar, who doesn’t even spin the ball. I just don’t get it. Why don’t you encourage a bowler who bowls genuine spin, who can lure the batsman out and have him stumped. If Washington can bat a bit, so can Jalaj, who is also a proper spinner,”
Both Jalaj Saxena and Akshay Wakhre are big names in the domestic circuit and consistently produce great results for their respective states. Saxena has taken 347 wickets and has scored 6334 runs in the first-class cricket and Wakhre has taken 279 wickets in 83 first-class games so far. Wakhre was even part of the back-to-back Ranji Trophy-winning team, Vidharba.
Washington has put forward fair results until now. He is especially known for his economical bowling in the powerplay- a rare breed in spin bowlers and has so far taken 19 wickets in 23 T20Is at an economy of less than 7. The upcoming IPL season will play a huge factor in deciding if he will be part of India’s squad in the T20 World Cup or not.
