Kuldeep Yadav's shocking exclusion from the Indian team for the second Test against Bangladesh after his last match heroics has made Harbhajan Singh wonder if the left-arm wrist spinner "would be better off" if he is not winning 'player of the match' awards.
Kuldeep, who made a return to Test cricket after 22 months, took a match haul of eight wickets including a career-best 5/40 and scored 40 crucial runs only to be dropped for the ongoing second game in Mirpur to accommodate Saurashtra seamer Jaydev Unadkat in the playing eleven.
Harbhajan, one of India's greatest spinners, was completely baffled by the call to drop Kuldeep.
"I think from now on, Kuldeep should stop taking five-wicket hauls. Who knows that he might just get to play two Test matches in a row!" a sarcastic Harbhajan told PTI when his reaction was sought.
"Like last time when he got a five-for, before the Chattogram Test, was against Australia in Sydney (5/99) in different conditions.
He was supposed to be India's No. 1 spinner in overseas conditions but he had to wait for more than two years to play a Test.
"Now he played after nearly two years again and has been dropped again. Would love to know the rationale," said Harbhajan, one of the four Indian bowlers to have taken 400-plus wickets.
While Umesh Yadav and comeback man Unadkat got six wickets between them, the pitch wasn't a seamer's paradise. R Ashwin also got four wickets.
The pitch was offering assistance to spinners as Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan got a few to turn square.
The 'Turbanator' also felt that "security" has just become a word in Indian cricket and no one is walking the talk.
"I don't want to name any player but some of the players in the Test set-up got a long rope, up to five years. In the case of Kuldeep, it seems that the duration of his security is five days."
"How does one feel safe if he gets dropped after taking eight wickets? Can he play fearless cricket when all that the team management has done is to instil fear in him?" questioned Harbhajan.
He added that while he would agree that Bangladesh aren't the most formidable side in the Test format but a performer being benched is likely to send a wrong message among youngsters.
"You can never perform if a sword hangs over your head. I only hope that Kuldeep doesn't lose confidence because of this, as he is someone who should be serving India for another good 8-10 years," he added.
