Poor show by bowlers responsible for Champions Trophy loss, feels Harbhajan Singh

India discard Harbhajan Singh feels that the bowling department is to be blamed for India’s horrific loss against an inexperienced Pakistan side in the Champions Trophy final. Singh, who is currently struggling to find a place in the Indian team believes that the bowlers did not perform ‘when it mattered’.

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According to Harbhajan, the Indian bowlers gave away a lot of runs in the middle overs which allowed the Pakistani batsmen to register a colossal total of 338 runs. He also pointed out the spinners failed miserably to take wickets which also turned the game in favour of Pakistan.

The 36-year-old claimed that India has been significantly poor with their efforts on the field and lacked the hunger to win.

“Our bowlers disappointed when it mattered the most. We didn’t start too well to begin with. The spinners did not help by giving away too many runs, plus they didn’t take any wickets. This cost us immensely,” Harbhajan wrote in his column for the ICC.

“Our fielding was not up to the mark as seen in previous matches. It was such kind of performance where we were hoping for a breakthrough rather than making things happen.

“The runs given in the middle overs were too much. They got their partnerships spot on. They were up for it right from the first ball and one had the feeling that they had saved their best for the final against us,” he said.

Harbhajan did not make it to the Champions Trophy squad despite a decent IPL stint. Singh was in the news before the start of the Champions Trophy as he questioned the team selectors for favouring MS Dhoni despite being out of form. But the Turbanator was seen cheering the team throughout their Champions Trophy campaign with his motivating tweets.