Gave him a lollypop to suck on: Harbhajan on Chahal's selection

A day after India announced their squad for the all-important tour of South Africa, former spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday questioned Yuzvendra Chahal's selection for the tour, and said that they gave him a "lollypop to suck on."

On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s selection committee, named the Men in Blue's squad for all three formats. Chahal has been included in the Indian ODI team for SA tour.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Bhajji said that it was beyond his understanding why the 33-year-old was selected to the ODI squad but not for the T20I team.

"There is no Yuzvendra Chahal in T20 format. You kept him in ODIs but not T20Is. They just gave him a lollypop to suck on. We won't take in the format where you do well but will take for other formats. It's beyond my understanding," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, the former spinner said that the Proteas tour won't be easy for the Indian players and will be tough for the batters since the 'Men in Blue' won't have Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in their squad.

"South Africa tour is not easy. It's tough for batters. There you won't have Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Youth are indeed getting opportunities. It's a good thing. But I don't think that selectors had a chat with Rahane, Pujara, or Umesh Yadav because whenever Yadav has played in Tests, he has performed," he added.

On the other hand, following his inclusion on the ODI squad, Chahal took to his official social media account and wrote, "Here we go AGAIN!"

The tour will begin with the three-match T20I affair on December 10 at the Kingsmead Stadium. The second T20I will be played on December 12 at the St George's Oval. The 20-over format will conclude on December 14 at the Wanderers Stadium.

The 50-over clash will kick off on December 17 at the Wanderers Stadium. The second and final ODI will be played on December 19 and December 21 respectively.