A terror for Australian batsmen over the last decade, 'Turbanator' Harbhajan Singh could find himself watching the action on television when the Indian squad plies its trade Down Under in December - a situation unthinkable of till recently.

Harbhajan has failed to create much of an impact over the last few seasons - be it Tests, ODIs or T20 - and has come for heavy criticism from greats who feel that not only has he lost the guile with which he used to trick opposition batsmen, but also has developed a defensive bowling line - decreasing his impact - in an effort to curb the scoring rate. If an official in the Board of Control for Cricket in India is to be believed, Harbhajan's poor form combined with the terrific form of spinners R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha has shifted the advantage heavily in their favour.

"Going into the Australian tour there will only be two spinners and considering the way the duo of Ashwin and Ojha have grabbed the opportunities, combined with Harbhajan's failure to do much in the Ranji Trophy, it looks highly unlikely that Harbhajan will be picked. The present selection committee has believed in giving him enough opportunity, but he hasn't done much. And dropping either Ashwin or Ojha would mean a step in the backward direction," he told Mail Today.

But a high-voltage series like that against Australia means having gutsy customers like Harbhajan, who have the tenacity to fight against all odds, and former skipper Sourav Ganguly still believes he should be in the team on the basis of his vast experience.