Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today (September 22) said Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja would find it difficult to make a comeback to the One Day International team.

Ashwin has been rested for the opening three ODIs between India and Australia while Jadeja was recalled to the squad on the eve of the first match due to an injury to Axar Patel. Jadeja is yet to play a game.

The Virat Kohli-led team are currently up 2-0 in the five-match series. Last night (September 21), they won by 50 runs at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

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Left-arm chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the star with the ball with a hat-trick. He became only the third Indian, after Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev, to claim a hat-trick in ODIs.

Harbhajan heaped praise on Kuldeep and felt, with him and Yuzvendra Chahal bowling well, the duo of Ashwin and Jadeja will have an "onerous" task to return to the Playing XI.

R Ashwin
R Ashwin has been rested by Indian selectors.Reuters

"It's always a difficult thing (comeback). If your current two spinners are doing well, then it becomes difficult for the senior spinners to make a comeback," the 37-year-old told "Press Trust of India" news agency on Friday.

He added, "For Jaddu (Jadeja) and Ashwin, it will be an onerous task to make a comeback in the ODI side."

Harbhajan, however, said it is difficult to predict the future about the Indian spin combinations.

"At the moment, these two boys (Kuldeep and Chahal) are really doing well and I don't see them being replaced by Ashwin and Jaddu. You can't predict what's in store for the future," he said.

Harbhajan, who took a Test hat-trick against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001, said Kuldeep will be confident after his achievement.

"For a young spinner, when you get a hat-trick early in your career, your confidence shoots up to a different level. This is a milestone which each and every cricketer savours for the rest of his life," he said.

India and Australia face off in the third ODI on Sunday (September 24) in Indore.

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