The seasoned Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh has shared a lesser-known tale from India’s title-winning ODI World Cup campaign. The 43-year-old recounted that the team’s then-coach Gary Kirsten had forbidden the players from reading newspapers.
The former cricketer then urged the current players to avoid using social media because doing so could have negatively impacted their performance in later games if they had a poor game. Notably, team India won the World Cup title for the second time in 2011 following a number of outstanding performances.
“In 2011, things were different. You could avoid trouble by avoiding newspaper reading. Everything is now available on social media. You can see what others will post on social media if you don’t perform well on a certain day. I would suggest that gamers avoid social media. For the next two months, don’t look at your phones, Harbhajan advised India Today.
We were asked not to read newspapers as part of a rule established by Gary Kirsten.
If the opposition has more left-handers, R Ashwin should start: Harbhajan Singh
Ravichandran Ashwin is currently one of India’s top bowling alternatives, according to Harbhajan, and the team management should consider playing him in the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, Ashwin replaced Axar Patel on the final squad because Patel was unable to participate in the competition because of an injury he acquired during the Asia Cup 2023.
“People are becoming more aware of how vital skill is. It’s not as if bowling to right-handers shouldn’t be done by an off-spinner. Even though I suggested that Ashwin should play if the opponent has a higher percentage of left-handers, the management disagrees. However, if I were the team captain or a member of management, I would choose my top five bowlers, and Ashwin would rank first or second on that list, according to the former cricketer, who spoke to ESPNcricinfo.
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