New Delhi : Harbhajan Singh’s decision to pull out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons has opened up a debate as to who should replace the veteran off-spinner in the Chennai Super Kings squad. While CSK have already shown their reluctance in naming a replacement for Suresh Raina, who too had decided to give this IPL a miss, the case might be a bit different when it comes to Harbhajan.
Former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta believes CSK should opt for all-rounder Jalaj Saxena as Harbhajan’s replacement. “I think Jalaj Saxena deserves a place, he’s a good enough all-rounder. I think they might look at him, he’s a very good option for Bhajji’s replacement,” Deep Dasgupta told here.
Jalaj Saxena is one of the veterans of Indian domestic cricket and has a proven track record as an all-rounder in all three formats of the game. In 54 T20 matches, Saxena has taken 49 wickets at an economy rate of 6.92. The off-spinner, who also bats at the top of the order, has 633 runs to his name in T20s.
Saxena was part of the Delhi Capitals squad in the last IPL but was released ahead of this season. The fact that CSK don’t have another off-spinning option in their squad apart from Kedar Jadhav, may just pave the way for the all-rounder.
“He’s someone who has got a lot of experience not just in red ball cricket but also in white ball cricket he’s been around for a while,” said Dasgupta.
Speaking about Harbhajan’s absence in the CSK squad, Dasgupta said, the MS Dhoni-led side will definitely miss the experience of the veteran off-spinner.
“Yes, he wasn‘t a regularity, didn’t play all the games last season but having said that when you’ve got someone as experienced as Harbhajan and we’re talking about all those 50 plus matches being played on only 3 venues,” Dasgupta said.
“In the 2nd half of the tournament, those pitches will get tired, there will ware and tare so it will definitely help the spinners. From the experience part, yes (they will miss him), and of course he was only off-spinner. He didn’t play much after last season but with someone of that experience, you have to back them and that’s what CSK has done. So they will miss him, maybe not too much but a bit for sure.”
Harbhajan, the third-highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL with 150 scalps, was roped in by CSK ahead of IPL 2018 for his base price of Rs 2 crore. Despite his absence, CSK have three front-line spinners in leg-spinner Imran Tahir, left-armer Mitchell Santner and seasoned leg break bowler Piyush Chawla.
However, Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday became the second high-profile Chennai Super Kings cricketer after batsman Suresh Raina to pull out of IPL 2020 in UAE due to personal reasons. While the veteran off-spinner clearly stated that he wanted to stay with his family in this ‘difficult’ time and the CSK team-management have been very supportive towards his decision, there were speculations that the 13 personnel, including two cricketers testing positive for Covid-19, might have had a role in it.
However, a friend of Harbhajan clarified that it was purely personal and the situation in Dubai had no influence in the off-spinner’s decision to opt out of IPL. A source close to Harbhajan said that it would be “absurd” to attribute the decision to 13 Covid-19 cases in CSK camp.
“It wasn’t about the Covid cases in the Chennai camp. But if you have a wife and toddler staying in India for three months, your mind will be diverted and you can’t fully focus on the game. Then it doesn’t matter whether you get two crore or 20 crore. Money is last on your mind,” a friend of the player told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Harbhajan, who is currently in Jalandhar, Punjab, requested privacy after his decision.
“I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons. These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL Stay safe and Jai Hind,” Harbhajan tweeted.
Harbhajan said that he was indebted to the CSK management for understanding his priorities. “When I told the CSK management about my decision, they were very supportive and I can’t thank them enough for that,” the off-spinner said.
Harbhajan, who is the third-highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL with 150 scalps, was roped in by CSK ahead of IPL 2018 for his base price of INR 2 crore. CSK now have three front-line spinners – leg-spinner Imran Tahir, left-armer Mitchell Santner and seasoned leg-break bowler Piyush Chawla, who was bought for a hefty sum.
