Kolkata: Legendary Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi indirectly criticised India and Punjab cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh for missing Punjab’s Ranji Trophy opening match against Himachal Pradesh.
The senior selection committee of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) had earlier appointed Harbhajan Singh as the captain of the team with Yuvraj Singh being his deputy but both of them were unavailable for the opening game, citing personal reasons.
Bedi said, “First-class cricket is very important and honestly I don’t like players who bunk it. I have very little time for them. Players missing first-class cricket is a bad omen for Indian cricket. When your international players start bunking domestic cricket, it is a bad omen for the future.”
He didn’t name both Yuvraj and Harbhajan while saying this but it is understandable that it was directed at the both of them as all the other Indian cricketers took part in the competition. Also absent from the opening round of matches were Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane and Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja.
The legend also went on to applaud the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammad Shami for participating in the competition.
He said, “I am glad that they are not missing Ranji Trophy. After making it into the national side, it is important for players to continue in domestic circuit too.”
Bedi’s comments are very important if seen in the light of the fact that both Yuvraj and Harbhajan are trying to break into the national team. Harbhajan had last played for India way back against the UAE in a T20I while Yuvraj last wore the India jersey in the tour of the West Indies earlier this year.
Nonetheless, despite the absence of these big names, Punjab still managed to eke out a draw against Himachal Pradesh.