Harbhajan Singh Accuses Malinga and Jayawardene of Breaking Team Spirit

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was not pleased with the frequent interventions from Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga from the dugout. He suggested that this breaks the players’ spirit.

MI’s head coach Mahela Jayawardene and bowling coach Lasith Malinga have received backlash after the MI vs PBKS fixture. They were criticized for being excessively involved during Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Punjab Kings chased down the target, defeating Mumbai Indians to reach the final.

Too Much Talk From the Dugout

The former India spinner criticized head coach Mahela Jayawardene and bowling coach Lasith Malinga for giving too many instructions from the dugout. He felt their constant input disrupted MI’s efforts to control the game against PBKS.
“Look at the Mumbai Indians dugout. When they were leaking runs, there was way too much involvement from the outside. Coaches are telling a bowler like Bumrah what to do and what not. A dressing room needs to remain calm and composed. Coaches should only give advice. Don’t show desperation. So somewhere I felt that when this happens way too much, it breaks their spirit,” Harbhajan, a former MI cricketer himself, said on his YouTube channel.

‘These are big players’

A similar incident took place in MI’s clash against Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator fixture. Jayawardene was seen giving instructions to Jasprit Bumrah, which the pacer ignored.

Harbajan reminded the head coach that these are seasoned players that need a show of faith from the management. He did not like the team being too involved and disturbing the players from the dugout.

“Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, these are big players. And when they are playing, let them do what they need to do to get the right result for the team. They have won many trophies together. They needed to be shown a lot more faith, but the coaching staff time and again was interfering and gesturing with their hands,” added Harbhajan.

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