Bhajji should have been there at Antigua and St Lucia: Lara

The Punjab off-spinner was not picked for the first Test, where the West Indies last pair held on for 19 balls to deny India victory. He was then hit by a “freak” groin strain at St Lucia.

Said Lara: “We, of course, expected Harbhajan to be playing in the first Test, so it will not be a surprise if he comes in. It would not be a situation in which we would be panicking. We have played against him in the past and have great respect, so if included, you might see a more potent India.”

Then, Lara turned towards his own selectors, dropping hints that he could have done with a genuine fast bowler (Jermaine Lawson or Tino Best) and a spinner (Dave Mohammed), rather than Samuels the batting all-rounder.

“I have been sort of censored. I think it’s a situation where myself and the selectors are not singing from the same hymn sheet. That’s unfortunate. I suppose we have got to play with what we got. An out-and-out fast bowler has not been selected and the genuine spinner has been left out. So that’s a bit unfortunate, but I suppose we got to play with what we have,” he said.