India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years, capping off a pretty lackluster 2024–25 season. Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has called for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to put an end to the “superstar culture” in cricket after India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time since 1997 and was humiliated at home by New Zealand.
Following the 2024 T20 World Cup victory by former head coach Rahul Dravid, all of the losses have occurred since Gautam Gambhir took over as coach. “We have suffered a 3-1 loss in Australia, a series thumping by New Zealand, and a loss to Sri Lanka in the last six months. Before Rahul Dravid arrived, everything was good. After India won the World Cup, all was well. However, what was the unexpected event? stated on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh.
The poor play of India’s top-order batsmen, particularly skipper Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli, has been a major factor in their recent Test cricket problems. In the end, Rohit decided to skip the last Test match against Australia. According to Harbhajan, players should be selected for the Indian squad based on their performance rather than their prior accomplishments.
Each participant has a reputation. Add Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, or any of India’s greatest match winners if this is the case. Selectors and BCCI ought to take control. “India ought to abandon its superstar mentality,” he stated.
“Abhimanyu Easwaran did not perform while on tour. Given the chance, he has the potential to play for India. The same is true of Sarfaraz. The England tour is now in the future. That’s where the performer should go. “You shouldn’t choose players based on their reputation,” he continued.
India’s lackluster performance following their T20 World Cup victory
India’s 3-1 series loss against Australia is a fair reflection of the series’ outcome. Despite pushing the hosts throughout the series, the visitors fell behind in nearly every game except for the opening one in Perth, which they won by 295 runs.
The series loss comes after New Zealand’s incredible 3-0 thumping at home, which put an end to a record 18 straight home series victories. For the first time since 1997, India has previously lost a bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka.