India’s veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh feels it will be difficult to ignore young players like Ishan Kishan and Prithvi Shaw for the T20 World Cup.
Shaw scored a fine knock of 43 runs off just 24 balls in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which was played at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday.
Thus, the youngster was awarded the Player of the match for his blistering knock. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan made a rollicking start to his ODI career as he smashed a six on the first ball he faced.
The left-hander scored the second fastest fifty on ODI debut as he got to the milestone in only 33 balls after Krunal Pandya, who scored a fifty on his debut off just 26 balls against England. Kishan scored 59 runs off just 42 balls and played a key role in India’s win.
Meanwhile, Shaw has been in sublime form in the recent past. The right-hander scored 827 runs in the eight matches of Vijay Hazare and ended as the highest run-scorer of the tournament.
Shaw then continued his good form in the IPL as he amassed 308 runs in eight matches of IPL 2021 before the season was postponed by the BCCI.
Furthermore, Kishan has been a consistent performer while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and he has definitely made a case for himself for the T20 World Cup.
“You can judge a player on his performances. The way Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan have batted in an international game shows how capable they are and it will be difficult to ignore them for the T20 World Cup. If you want to win the World Cup you need players like these. They don’t see who is bowling in the opposition. They just back their natural game,” Harbhajan Singh asserted while talking to Sports Tak.
On the other hand, Harbhajan reckons if the selectors need to replace a senior player with a young player, they shouldn’t hesitate to do so. The Turbanator also feels Suryakumar Yadav has sealed his place in the T20I showpiece with his consistent performances.
“They should not be ignored based on their performances. Even if selectors have to replace a senior player, they should go ahead and do it. I also feel Suryakumar Yadav has sealed his place for the T20 World Cup. He not only plays an attacking brand of cricket, but is also capable of preserving his wicket and scoring quickly at the same time,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.
The second ODI will take place on Tuesday.
