"Has been made to sit out despite performing well" - Harbhajan Singh urges selectors to pick Yuzvendra Chahal in India's World Cup squad

Harbhajan Singh believes that the Indian selectors must find a way to accommodate senior leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The former cricketer feels that Chahal was dropped unfairly from the team. Harbhajan suggested that the 33-year-old has been a pivotal cog for the Men in Blue in white-ball cricket for several years.

Harbhajan mentioned that he would pick Chahal over Axar Patel. He emphasized that with Ravindra Jadeja in the team, India can afford to leave out Axar, as they are very similar players.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"I have excluded Axar Patel because Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are very similar players. I think Yuzvendra Chahal is one player who hasn't been given proper opportunities for quite some time now. He is a matchwinner, and his stats are a testament to that. No spinner has made the kind of impact that he has in T20Is and ODIs. It could be the case that he isn't on good terms with someone from the team.

"I am guessing this could be the case, as he has been made to sit out despite performing well. Axar Patel is also a very good player, but Yuzvendra Chahal should get the nod ahead of him because we already have Ravindra Jadeja. Chahal is one of the few bowlers who can single-handedly win matches, as we have seen many times in the IPL."

In the video, Harbhajan also named his preferred Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Here's the list of players he picked:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav.

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"Need to set the right template" - Harbhajan Singh's suggestion to India for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Harbhajan Singh reckons that India have a very balanced ODI team at the moment, with enough firepower in all three departments of the game.

He, however, stated that the team management must identify the right template on the road to the mega ICC event, adding:

"India have a very good team, but they need to set the right template. When England won the World Cup, their template was to play attacking cricket. I am not saying India should do the same. India have enough firepower in every department, but it is important to make the best use of those resources."

It is worth mentioning that India's provisional World Cup squad is expected to be announced on Tuesday, September 5.