Akram wants Harbhajan dropped

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has criticized out-of-form off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and called for Amit Mishra to take his place.

By Prateek Srivastava
The cricketer-turned-commentator for ESPN STAR Sports is not happy with Harbhajan's spells in the Lord’ Test. The offie bowled 56 overs in the match but returned with just one wicket. Harbhajan has been in poor form of late, underlined by just the three fifers in the last 27 matches.
Akram said it was high time the Indian team management looked at Mishra.

“Harbhajan looked off-colour at Lord’s. He got very little spin; his line was also very bad. On the other hand, Graeme Swann bowled beautifully. He showed a lot of variation,"  Akram told Mobile ESPN in an exclusive chat from London.
"I do not remember one occasion when he bowled a bad ball. I think it’s about time that Mishra came in. English batsmen have traditionally been poor against leg-spinners. Besides, Mishra is a very intelligent bowler. I saw him bowling in the IPL and he impressed me a lot. 
"To cut it short, Mishra should play in the next match."
Akram also wants Zaheer Khan dropped for the second Test against England if he is not fully fit.
Zaheer could only bowl 13.3 overs in the first Test at Lord’s because of a hamstring injury. His absence was a huge factor in India's massive 196-run defeat.

“I do not think Zaheer should play at Trent Bridge if he is not fully fit. India missed him dearly in the Lord’s Test. There is no point in going in with an unfit player. There is a warm-up coming up against Northants after the second Test and he should eye that.
"If he bowls without any pain, he should return to the eleven for the third Test,” he said.

Akram also made it clear that if he was the captain of the Indian team, he would prefer S Sreesanth over Munaf Patel, keeping in mind the swinging conditions at Trent Bridge.

“Both bowlers are good. Munaf gets a lot of nip and bounce because he is tall and he is also very accurate. Sreesanth, on the other hand, swings the ball a great deal but everyone knows that at times he can be wayward. But I would still go for Sreesanth because he is aggressive and can make the most of the swinging conditions,” Akram said.