WTC final reminder of Harbhajan's to Rohit in backing Ashwin over Thakur for the 1st SA Test
One of the most common debates for India each time they travel to seam-friendly countries centres around the No. 8 position. And despite what veterans and legends may or may not suggest, the team management has backed Shardul Thakur for the role ahead of the very experienced Ravichandran Ashwin. Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, however, admits that captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid made the correct choice back then, but feels that on Tuesday, against South Africa, in the Test series opener in Centurion, the team should back Ashwin ahead of Thakur.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on the eve of the start of the two-match contest, India's second assignment in the ongoing WTC cycle, Harbhajan backed the decision of India to pick Shardul in the WTC final in June against Pat Cummins's men as the conditions at the Oval called for an extra seam option in the line-up.
Harbhajan Singh said, "The biggest debate is whether Shardul should play or Ashwin; this topic became a heated discussion during the World Test Championship. The conditions there were different because the ball seams on Day 1, so I feel Shardul was the right choice according to those conditions. There was a lot of grass on the wicket; even though he couldn't make an impact, I feel the decision was right.”
He further added, “But here, I feel the conditions will be hot, the pitch will be hard, the bounce will be there, and you have three pacers, so I think India should go with two spinners. I feel South Africa would love to face pace, so I think you should play to your strength. I feel Ashwin should play, but I don’t see that happening.”