Virender Sehwag: Time to pick Harbhajan Singh over Hardik Pandya

Virender Sehwag 08:42 23/03/2016
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  • Sehwag has urged India to recall veteran Harbhajan Singh.

    What a win it was against Pakistan. Some feared that India had suffered a big setback after the defeat to New Zealand but I knew they would get back on track against their arch rivals.

    As I said earlier, in an India- Pakistan match, recent form never matters. In such a game, whoever plays well on that day prevails.

    It’s all about not losing focus and I feel the Indian team is much better at handling pressure situations than Pakistan.

    Our record against Pakistan at world events has always been good.

    India beat Pakistan in five World Cup matches and then in as many World T20 matches as well. So the result was never in doubt in my mind.

    It was a high pressure game and Virat Kohli’s knock turned out to be the game changer. That was one of his best innings. But the credit should also go to the Indian bowlers.

    They started well with Ashish Nehra giving hardly anything away.

    Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja came into their own on a helpful pitch and did a great job in restricting the Pakistanis to less than 120.

    We lost three quick wickets but the knock that Virat played was really a class apart.

    Yes, the Indian spinners got a lot of purchase from the Eden Gardens track but Indian bowling is very strong and that is why the outcome was different in Kolkata compared to when Bangladesh bowled there against Pakistan, conceding 200.

    However, another factor that could have resulted in Ashwin and Jadeja getting so much help was the wicket being under covers for 12-13 hours. Dampness must have seeped through and the ball was gripping, even for the fast bowlers.

    That happens when there is rain around and the groundsman can’t be blamed for it. If there had been some sun, the wicket might have dried out and been better for batting.

    All in all, the team seems to be moving in the right direction. The only concern for me is Hardik Pandya’s place in the playing XI. I feel it’s time to bring in Harbhajan Singh as an extra spinner. He is an experienced bowler and can make a huge difference.

    He can deliver four economical overs and hit a couple of sixes too down the order. We need another bowler in our line-up who can take wickets and Harbhajan is the one for me.

    Bhajji ‘pa’ has a lot of experience under his belt. He has been training hard, keeping himself fit.

    He has played more than 100 Test matches (103), 200 ODIs (236) and many T20 matches. Harbhajan has been a veteran of the IPL, performed consistently across seasons and has one of the best economy rates in the league. I feel Harbhajan can contribute more than Pandya in these conditions.

    Wednesday’s game is crucial for India and our batsmen will most certainly hit top form in Bangalore against Bangladesh.

    The Chinnaswamy Stadium is like second home for Kohli as he is the skipper of Royal Challengers.

    Rohit Sharma has hit a double century in ODIs there and Suresh Raina has scored a lot of runs while playing for Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers in the IPL.

    Yuvraj Singh has also been a part of the Bangalore IPL set-up so the batsmen will be looking forward to the game. I am sure they will thrash Bangladesh.

    As far as Bangladesh is concerned, it doesn’t matter if they have their best players in the team or not. They are not as good as the Indian side. We played their full-strength side in the Asia Cup final and what happened there? India beat them easily. We should not give too much credit to the Bangladesh team. Yes they can upset some teams on their day on a helpful pitch.

    But on a good limited overs track, I don’t think so. India should hit top form by the time the Bangladesh game finishes and be in the groove for the match against Australia in Mohali.

    The openers didn’t fire in the first two games but I am not concerned about their form. I am sure guys like Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan will come good soon. They are good players and can win a match on their own.

    They scored big recently in Australia and in subsequent series and I am backing them to deliver.

    I expect nothing less than a straightforward win for India.

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