Harbhajan Singh questions decision to leave out Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal from Champions Trophy squad

India's squad for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy was released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on January 18. There were a lot of expected names that featured in the 15-member squad. However, the likes of Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal were not drafted. Consequently, the overlooking of the two cricketers has become a debated topic involving extensive discussion. 

Former Indian cricketer, Harbhajan Singh, believed that Samson deserved a go in the squad considering his average (56.66) in the 14 ODI innings he has played up until now.  

"Truly, I feel bad for him (Sanju). He scores runs, but he has been dropped. I know you can only select 15, but I feel his batting suits the format. He has an average of 55-56, but he isn’t even there as a second wicketkeeper. When we talk about selecting him, people ask, in whose place? Places can be made,” shared Harbhajan while speaking to Switch.

Also Read: [Exclusive] Harbhajan Singh picks his favourites for Champions Trophy 2025

I don’t know what wrong he did: Harbhajan 

The erstwhile World Cup winner also shared his take on Chahal's exclusion.  

"Yuzvendra Chahal isn’t there too. You’ve picked four spinners, two of them are left-armers. You could’ve included a leg-spinner for variation too. Chahal is a superb bowler. I don’t know what wrong he did, that he doesn’t fit in this team," added Harbhajan.

While Samson has still been a regular feature for the T20I setup, it seems as if Chahal has completely been excluded from India's scheme of things. The leg-spinner last played for the nation in August 2023. Since then, he has played the Indian Premier League, the County Championship, and white-ball domestic cricket.  

Coming to Chahal's numbers in the 50-over format, he has picked 121 wickets in 69 innings while representing the nation. While his statistics aren't bad at all, it seems as if India have found a fresh set of spinners for their white-ball squads. As far as Champions Trophy 2025 is concerned, India have gone ahead with Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.