‘Where is Shardul Thakur gone?’ - Harbhajan Singh questions all-rounder's exclusion from BGT 2024-25 squad

The Indian team is all set to face off against Australia in the much anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The first Test of the series will kick off from November 22 as both sides take centre stage in Perth at the picturesque Optus Stadium. Ahead of the series, India announced their squad for the series, and former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh had some questions.

The former spinner took centre stage and questioned the exclusion of all-rounder Shardul Thakur from the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy is the only pace bowling all-rounder in the squad, and Harbhajan Singh had a strong opinion on the same.

It is worth noting that Thakur was exceptional for India in the BGT 2020-21, as his performance helped the side clinch the game in Brisbane.

"You needed an all-rounder like Hardik Pandya. But you don't have an option but to play Nitish Kumar Reddy. Where is Shardul Thakur gone? Where is Hardik Pandya gone? We just confined them to shorter formats. You needed a player like Hardik. We started investing in Shardul for the last two to three years, but where is he now?" Harbhajan Singh told Jatin Sapru on the latter's YouTube channel.

If Nitish gets a wicket or two, that would be a bonus: Harbhajan

Furthermore, Harbhajan Singh talked about the role that Nitish Kumar Reddy could play for India in the series. Comparing his role to that of Sourav Ganguly, where he could bowl a few overs and provide a strong batting option in the process as well.

"Suddenly on a tour like this, you are asking Nitish to bowl. What he can do is just bowl a few overs here and there like Sourav Ganguly did, and if he gets one or two wickets, then that would be a bonus," Harbhajan added.

It is worth noting that Reddy comes into the series with no prior experience in Test cricket; he recently made his international debut in the Bangladesh T20I series. However, his numbers in first-class cricket seem to have impressed the masses. Taking 56 wickets in 23 matches in red-ball domestics, the Andhra-born will look to prove his worth on the biggest stage as well.