Curated By: Aakash Biswas
Last Updated: August 18, 2023, 14:23 IST
West Indies defeated India 3-2 in the 5-match T20I series (AP Photo)
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the young brigade needs to learn a lot from the loss against Windies
After beating the West Indies in the Tests and ODIs, Team India was expected to return home with the T20I trophy as well. The seniors were rested and a bunch of youngsters took centre stage under the leadership of Hardik Pandya. But the Rovaman Powell & Co trumped the visitors and clinched the five-match series 3-2. The hosts were top-notch in comparison to the tourists on most occasions. The Indian batters found it difficult to face the Windies attack while the bowlers were mostly troubled by in-form Nicholas Pooran who bagged the Player of the Series award.
The biggest positive for India was Tilak Varma who scored 173 runs in five games. His red-hot form impressed a plethora of experts so much that they want to see him in the Asia Cup and the subsequent World Cup squads.
At the same time, a few are also concerned about India’s future in T20Is, especially when the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren’t the regular faces in the format. Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the young brigade needs to learn a lot from the loss against Windies.
In his latest YouTube video, Harbhajan said Kohli and Rohit won’t stay for long. In that case, the youngsters have to grab the opportunities with both hands and delivery accordingly.
“I didn’t pay much heed to the West Indies series, thinking that India will win. But the results of the T20Is surprised many, including me. A team that didn’t even qualify for the world cup has beaten India. It’s a great achievement for West Indies but a huge concern for India,” Harbhajan said in the video.
“It doesn’t matter if Kohli or Rohit were not there, they won’t stay for long. But this young brigade that had toured West Indies has to learn a lot from this. I previously said that India can make 2-3 teams, and they still can, but the results are yet to reflect,” he said.
Before heading into the Asia Cup, India will play a 3-match T20I series against Ireland which starts Friday in Dublin. Jasprit Bumrah has been assigned the captain of the side who will lead a young group of players against a full-fledged Irish side.
