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Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has questioned the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Shardul from the Test team for the five-match series against Australia. Harbhajan's remarks came amid reports of young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy making his Test debut in the series-opener against Australia in Perth. During a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, India bowling coach Morne Morkel lavished big praise on Nitish, who made his India debut last month during the T20I series against Bangladesh.
With just 23 first-class games under his belt, Nitish's inclusion in the BGT series turned out to be a surprise for many. However, he has impressed the selectors and support staff, including Morkel, during the intra-squad practice match.
Harbhajan, however, questioned BCCI's selection committee over the absence of seniors Hardik and Shardul from the Test squad.
"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 2-3 years, but where is he now? Suddenly on a tour like this you are asking Nitish to bowl," Harbhajan said on Jatin Sapru's YouTube channel.
While Hardik last played a Test in 2018, Shardul was part of the Indian team during its previous trip to Australia. He was in contention for a place in the team this time as well, but the selectors decided to go with the less-experienced Nitish.
Amid reports of Nitish making a debut in Perth, Harbhajan wants the youngster to play a role similar to former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who would assist the bowlers with his medium pace bowling.
"What he can do is just bowl a few overs here and there like Sourav Ganguly did, and if he gets 1-2 wickets, then that would be a bonus," he added.