Going into the series against South Arica, India were overwhelming favourites to win a Test series in the rainbow nation for the first time in history.
Virat Kohli & Co. made a dream start to their hopes of making history by winning the first Test of the series by a comprehensive margin of 113 runs in Centurion.
However, India’s series went downhill from there as they lost the second Test at Johannesburg by 7 wickets in the absence of Virat Kohli while the hosts won the third match by the same margin to seal a series win.
With a set of home series to follow and the resignation of Virat Kohli as the Test captain, the Indian team is set to undergo a massive transition in the longest format of the game.
While a lot of focus has been on the underperforming middle-order especially the form of senior batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan Singh has pointed out another area of concern.
The ex-Indian off-spinner expressed concern over the contribution of opener Mayank Agarwal and claimed he could be replaced by Prithivi Shaw and Shubman Gill.
Talking on his Youtube channel, Harbhajan said, “Mayank Agarwal got six innings but he didn’t make use of the opportunity, which is a sign that some new player might come. Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw can be seen in the next series because six innings is more than enough for a player.
“Mayank is a good player whom I support but since he hasn’t scored enough so I don’t know what will be the way forward from here.”
Talking about Pujara and Rahane, Harbhajan said that the team needs more contribution from them than just one half-century in the series.
“Rahane and Pujara played 50-run knocks in Johannesburg but expectations from seniors are much higher than this. They haven’t scored enough runs and I personally feel the way ahead from here will be difficult for them,” said the former Indian cricketer.
He further highlighted that the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer are waiting in the wings for an opportunity.
“Players like Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, who scored a hundred in the previous series are waiting for their opportunity and I feel the way Rahane and Pujara performed they have actually opened the doors for Iyer and Suryakumar,” concluded Harbhajan.
