"I don't think he can be sidelined on the basis of form" - Harbhajan Singh asks BCCI to have clarity in communication with Virat Kohli's T20I future

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has asked the BCCI and selectors to have clarity in communication on their decisions in terms of selection.

It has been reported that seniors Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will likely not feature in India's T20I scheme of things as they build towards the next T20 World Cup.

Harbhajan believes that irrespective of the decision, the Board and the selectors must communicate the same to the player beforehand.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Harbhajan said:

See, I don't know what selectors have in their minds and what they want to do but if we don't win big tournaments like the World Cup, there always is pressure and the senior players bear the brunt of it. We tend to say 'If the established stars are not able to win, we might as well pick youngsters – we should invest in them'."

The former off-spinner from Punjab added:

"But as far as Virat is concerned, I don't think he can be sidelined on the basis of form, Yes, you can of course speak to him and convey that look we are building a young team but whatever they choose to do, it should be conveyed to seniors. They shouldn't be informed after a decision is made."

Virat Kohli was in terrific form in the Asia Cup leading up to the T20 World Cup and carried on in the same vein at the World Cup, with an average of 70 in the tournaments combined.

Despite Kohli's best efforts, India failed to qualify for the finals in either of the tournaments, forcing the selectors to possibly look in a different direction come the next T20 World Cup.

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"We were sidelined first and then got to know through newspapers " - Harbhajan Singh on the lack of clarity during his playing days

Harbhajan Singh was a vital cog in the Indian setup for several years.

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was one of the stalwarts of Indian cricket with 711 international wickets across formats and was instrumental in India winning the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011.

He also played a vital role in three of the Mumbai Indians' title runs and the Chennai Super Kings' title win in 2018.

Despite his accolades, Harbhajan Singh has been axed a few times during his illustrious career and regrets the lack of clarity in communication during his playing days.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Singh said:

"We were sidelined first and then got to know through newspapers. It shouldn't happen to Kohli. A player should be given respect – be it Rohit, Virat or whoever else. Communication is the key. If conducted properly, it will create a healthy relationship between players and selectors because if someone is sidelined and not informed about it, that leaves a sour taste in every player's mouth."

The 42-year-old from Jalandhar was part of the national setup from 1998 to 2016 and played his last match for India in March 2016.

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