Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh took a dig at the management and selectors for sidelining good players who can actually win matches. Citing the example of Mohammed Shami, he claimed that if this trend is not stopped, India cannot win matches continuously like before.
After a very disappointing performance in the Test series which ended just before the start of the ODI series, India made a great start to the ODI series with an impressive win in Ranchi.
Indian legend Virat Kohli’s batting masterclass has grabbed so much headlines that the poor and inconsistent performance of the ODI team has been left aside. India’s record in ODIs under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir has not been very good.
India lacked consistency in ODIs along with red-ball mistakes
India wins ICC Champions Trophy 2025 under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership; So, the coach has an ICC trophy just a few months after taking over the role of India coach. However, it is worth noting that till the Champions Trophy, India played with almost the same eleven that played the ICC World Cup 2023, except for Jasprit Bumrah, who was injured then.
However, since then, India have played only five ODIs, and the once invincible team has managed to win only 2 of them. Set a target of 359 after a batting masterclass from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Proteas dominated the Indian bowling attack. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna came out to chase their biggest ODI target on foreign soil.
Along with Test mistakes, Gambhir’s record in ODI cricket has also been very poor and this can easily be attributed to his wrong tactics and biased selection of players.
“Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing” – Harbhajan Singh looked disappointed after India’s defeat in Raipur
India’s turbanator Ajit Agarkar has come under the scanner for continuously sidelining Mohammed Shami from the national setup. Shami has not played for India since the ICC Champions Trophy.
Harbhajan Singh didn’t mince his words as he blamed the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee for repeatedly sidelining quality players from the Indian team.
“Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing. I understand, you have Prasidh, he is a good bowler, but he still has a lot to learn. You had good bowlers, and you gradually sidelined them. With Bumrah, it is a different bowling attack, and without Bumrah, it is a completely different attack. We have to learn the art of winning games without Jasprit Bumrah,” Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel. But said.
“In England, without Bumrah, Siraj was incredible and brilliant. India won all the Tests where Bumrah was not involved. But, in the shorter formats, we need to find guys who can win you games, be it fast bowling or spin. Find spinners who can come in and take wickets. Kuldeep is there, but what about the rest?” He added.
To win the first ODI series after the Champions Trophy, India will have to win the series decider.
India have not won a single ODI bilateral series since winning the Champions Trophy in March 2025. Following the canceled tour of Bangladesh, their first set of ODI matches came in Australia, where the Men in Blue lost by the score of 2–1. It is noteworthy that when India last won the ODI tournament, Mohammed Shami was the bowler taking the highest wickets.
After the series, the Men in Blue now face South Africa, who have leveled the series 1-1 in a historic chase in Raipur. The final match will be played tomorrow in Visakhapatnam and will be the series decider.
Also Read: KKR forced Andre Russell to retire from IPL? West Indies legend issued official statement