The PlanetCricket View: Is Harbhajan the all-rounder India was searching for?
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AbhishekS
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If he continues to perform in the same manner, I won't be surprised to see him bat at #7 in tests, ahead of Dhoni. Dhoni has been pretty bad at the test level.
Thanks
So based on two innings on flat pitches against NZ's bowling you think Harbhajan has more to offer with the bat than Dhoni?
Average of 39.52 isn't 'pretty bad'. Harbhajan doesn't even average 20.
And don't defend yourself claiming you said 'continues to perform' - in Harbhajan's case it'll have to be a Vettori-esque 40ish average from number 8 for the next couple of years to move ahead of Dhoni, and that's assuming MSD doesn't average as much or higher.
Such flawed judgement.
Varun
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Half of Harbhajan's shots I have seen are pure slogs.(barring the defensive ones)
Dhoni slogs rarely, moreover he plays carefully.
Dhoni slogs rarely, moreover he plays carefully.
Leggie
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Those who said he needs to perform against quality opposition, to be fair he has four 50's against Australia, two of which were in Australia, that's pretty decent for a tailender.
But meh, he's averaged 50 with the ball this series. That's just crap.
But meh, he's averaged 50 with the ball this series. That's just crap.
AkshayS
Chairman of Selectors
Judging him on just 2 centuries on flat tracks is foolish. He's a good tailender but not an allrounder. Plus he isn't bowling good ATM, so what's the use of him?
A batsman's, surely we have enough of them. So Bhajji should concentrate on his bowling more.
A batsman's, surely we have enough of them. So Bhajji should concentrate on his bowling more.
surendar
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No & no! His last few innings are just as good as Muralitharan's batting ( to watch )
i.e. a pure entertainer. Other than that, it is nothing special.
And Irfan Pathan - he doesn't deserve a chance again. Let him learn to bowl first, he bowled terribly in IPL.
Only player who can be groomed better is R.Jadeja. He has to be guided in correct direction for the match winner role.
i.e. a pure entertainer. Other than that, it is nothing special. And Irfan Pathan - he doesn't deserve a chance again. Let him learn to bowl first, he bowled terribly in IPL.
Only player who can be groomed better is R.Jadeja. He has to be guided in correct direction for the match winner role.
subversive
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No & no! His last few innings are just as good as Muralitharan's batting ( to watch )
And Irfan Pathan - he doesn't deserve a chance again. Let him learn to bowl first, he bowled terribly in IPL.
Jadeja's already a match-winner, he wins matches for the opposition.
Such Jadeja hate is unwarranted.
He is talented. Very talented. No doubt.
And he sucked when playing for India, and shouldn't have been in the side, agreed.
But it's hardly his fault that a) He was being constantly selected in the playing XI despite having no form and being low in confidence and b) Being given roles he wasn't suited too.
He's a Top 5 sort of batsman, he builds innings, he's not an end of innings hitter. Similarly, his bowling relies on flight and deception, but due to lack of confidence and form he ended up bowling flat and short and even ended up delivering quite a few long hops and fulltosses. Basically bowling rubbish.
Give him some time in domestic cricket and let him find some form, and he'll be back. He deserves a spot. He is our brightest allrounder prospect, as long as we can fit him somewhere in the Top 5, or he develops some nice hitting skills.
He could make the Test side batting at 6 or 7 though. But it's too early for that.
As for Irfan Pathan - he should definitely be called back into the ODI side when fit. He may only be bowling medium-paced cutters now, with a hit of swing with the new ball and in the right conditions, but that is just fine for a third or fourth seamer in ODIs. He's got the experience, is good in the field, useful with the bat. May not deserve a recall to the test team, but since Yusuf has been worked out internationally and Jadeja has been discarded, Irfan is our best bet for an allrounder in ODIs. Him at 7 with Harbhajan at 8 gives our lower order some nice strength and gives us the luxury of playing 5 bowlers with Raina/Sehwag/Yuvi filling in part time if needed.
He is talented. Very talented. No doubt.
And he sucked when playing for India, and shouldn't have been in the side, agreed.
But it's hardly his fault that a) He was being constantly selected in the playing XI despite having no form and being low in confidence and b) Being given roles he wasn't suited too.
He's a Top 5 sort of batsman, he builds innings, he's not an end of innings hitter. Similarly, his bowling relies on flight and deception, but due to lack of confidence and form he ended up bowling flat and short and even ended up delivering quite a few long hops and fulltosses. Basically bowling rubbish.
Give him some time in domestic cricket and let him find some form, and he'll be back. He deserves a spot. He is our brightest allrounder prospect, as long as we can fit him somewhere in the Top 5, or he develops some nice hitting skills.
He could make the Test side batting at 6 or 7 though. But it's too early for that.
As for Irfan Pathan - he should definitely be called back into the ODI side when fit. He may only be bowling medium-paced cutters now, with a hit of swing with the new ball and in the right conditions, but that is just fine for a third or fourth seamer in ODIs. He's got the experience, is good in the field, useful with the bat. May not deserve a recall to the test team, but since Yusuf has been worked out internationally and Jadeja has been discarded, Irfan is our best bet for an allrounder in ODIs. Him at 7 with Harbhajan at 8 gives our lower order some nice strength and gives us the luxury of playing 5 bowlers with Raina/Sehwag/Yuvi filling in part time if needed.
relentless_rock
Club Cricketer
On R Jadeja, his failures indeed have caught attention of everyone and should probably have been dropped/rested when he was having terrible run with bat n bowl.Though when he came into the side I too was impressed with his bowling & fielding and quite decent enough batting. With age on his side, if he continues to work on his batting and bowling he could turn out to be a good allrounder for India.
On Harbhajan Singh, at age of 28, in the side as our wicket taking bowler, expecting him to be our future allrounder is illogical just on account of his recent stints with bat. His bowling has gone downhill and to continue to have a place in the side his bowling strike rae and average needs drastic improvements.
Edit: Just realised Bhajji is 30 :o
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All-rounder? Lol
Harbhajan got to lift the game up in terms of bowling.His performances in away matches are poor.His away average is 41+ when ZIM & BAN records are removed.Now he's failing at home.
Harbhajan got to lift the game up in terms of bowling.His performances in away matches are poor.His away average is 41+ when ZIM & BAN records are removed.Now he's failing at home.
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BlueString
School Cricketer
No. No way. Harbajhan as an all-rounder would spell catastrophe for India. He is an extremely talented and smart bowler who hasn't been performing of late, and he needs to re-invent himself. All-rounder however, isn't the way to go. He needs to rethink his bowling approach and realize that his talent alone just doesn't do it anymore; he's gotta have variation with different deliviries, accuracy, and win the mental battle with the batsman, adjusting to different situations.
If he thinks he can be a batsman, that bowler that he has the potential to become will never come. India would be much better off trying to make Yuvraj into a better bowler than Harbhajan into a better batsman, as Yuvraj has talent in both (he hasn't really shown it recently, but he has talent. Now all he needs is execution)
If he thinks he can be a batsman, that bowler that he has the potential to become will never come. India would be much better off trying to make Yuvraj into a better bowler than Harbhajan into a better batsman, as Yuvraj has talent in both (he hasn't really shown it recently, but he has talent. Now all he needs is execution)
