@Reuters
The veteran off-spinner who wrecked the batsmen around the world in the 2000s revealed that if it weren’t Sourav Ganguly he wouldn’t be in the cricketing field anywhere.
The pro-off-spinner made his debut for India at the age of 18 in 1998 but he was in and out of the team until that breakout series in 2001 that changed the dynamics of Indian cricket team where India defeated Australia just after that fixing scandal.
That series unearthed the precious diamond in Harbhajan Singh who was given an opportunity in place of the injured Anil Kumble.
Here is what Harbhajan Singh said-
“I was dropped for a long time. I was also discarded by the NCA before that series, I was very low. If it wasn’t for my captain SouravGangulythen I probably would have settled down in Canada like many of my friends. Thank you Souravbhai for supporting me throughout my career.”
The finger spinner made a massive impact in his comeback series and made perfect use of the opportunity. Harbhajan didn’t make to feel the absence of the Jumbo and was causing consistent trouble to the Australian gun batting line up. Bhajji picked up 4 wickets in the 1st test which India lost but the real turning point was in the Eden Gardens where India staged a remarkable comeback in which Harbhajan took a Hat trick Which probably defined Bhajji’ career.
“That was an unbelievable moment for me. The only greater moment I can think of is when we won the 2007 T20 World Cup and then the 2011 ODI World Cup. That moment was something special. The crowd, my teammates celebrated like it was their own hat-trick. For the first time, I saw Rahul Dravid celebrating like that. I will always say that is not my hat-trick, that is India’s hat-trick.”
Harbhajan returned with figures of 7/123 and 6/73 in the 1st and 2nd innings and eventually, India went on to win the game despite following-on and the series as well. Harbhajan bagged 32 wickets in that series which was the defining moment in his career.