Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh questioned the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel’s decision to leave Rajat Patidar from the T20I squad for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England. Patidar recently led RCB to their second IPL title and was one of the contenders for a spot in the middle order.

The RCB captain amassed 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69 in the recently concluded season. Patidar took the attack on the opposition bowlers in the middle overs and made a huge difference with his aggressive approach.

Harbhajan Singh wrote on X, “Sad no Rajat Patidar in the indian squad. What else he needs to do ? Scored 501 runs strike rate almost 200 . Unfair. Easily the best middle order in India . Proper striker with good technique.”

On the other hand, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said they discussed a lot of players but they can pick only 15 players in the squad.

The former Indian pacer said in the press conference, “We discuss a host of players. You don’t just sit there and put down 15 names. There are a lot of good players in India. If you’ve watched the IPL or followed domestic cricket, there are plenty of players who look good enough to walk into the team. But the players already in the team are doing well too. We won a World Cup not too long ago. We think we’ve picked a really good squad. There will always be players who miss out, but you can only pick 15 and we’re very happy with this group.”

Patidar made a huge difference for RCB in the middle overs and he is certainly unlucky to miss out in India’s T20I team.

India will play two T20Is against Ireland and five T20Is against England.