Harbhajan Singh: A man who invoked emotions

It was the match before the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup at Sharjah in 1998 which is remembered for Sachin Tendulkar’s desert storm. But much before the storm came, a 17-year-old off-spinner by the name of Harbhajan Singh, playing only his fourth ODI, had already created a commotion.

After dismissing Ricky Ponting, stumped by Nayan Mongia, Harbhajan showed the Australian batter the way to the dressing room and exchanged a few words as well.

This incident didn’t go well with the match referee and Harbhajan was fined as well as banned for an ODI. It was the beginning of his unique relationship with both Ponting and Australia.

Now this act of his could be debated, but it had invoked an emotion. And that’s the word that Harbhajan stood for throughout his career. For most of his playing days, energy and emotion oozed out of him.

Yes, it got him into trouble on many occasions, but that didn’t make him change his style.

"It was very difficult to keep wickets to Harbhajan because of his bounce, turn and bite"

Harbhajan Singh and Sameer Dighe against Australia at Chennai in 2001

Former Indian wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe, who had the opportunity to keep wickets to Harbhajan’s bowling, said:

"He had that character that he wanted to take wickets all the time."

Dighe’s first Harbhajan memory was when the two were part of the India A team in Los Angeles in 1999. He recalled that Harbhajan would make the ball turn a lot in those days.

"It was very difficult to keep wickets to Harbhajan because of his bounce, turn and bite," Dighe elaborated.

"Short ball ko hook aur pull mat karna, aage mile to ghumana"

Of course, their most famous time together was when Harbhajan hit the winning runs in the Chennai Test to seal the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2001.

When the off-spinner came in to join Dighe, India needed four runs to win and had just two wickets in hand. It was a tense situation. As Harbhajan walked into the center, Dighe who had been at the crease for more than an hour, told him:

"Short ball ko hook aur pull mat karna, aage mile to ghumana (Don't hook or pull the short ball, if it is pitched up then hit it)."

Within a few months, the two yet again rescued India in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. They had a 72-run eighth-wicket partnership with Harbhajan scoring 66 and Dighe 47. This played a key role in India’s eventual victory.

In later years, Harbhajan would be at the crease at many crucial junctures. One such memorable one was when he hit Mohammad Amir for a six in the last over to win a match in the 2010 Asia Cup.

The fact that he has two Test centuries to his name speaks volumes about his batting abilities.

As far as his bowling was concerned, he reserved his best for the Aussies. Starting with his first full series against them in 2001 when he took 32 wickets, he always had plenty of tricks for the Australian batters.

Even in the 2003 World Cup final, which Australia comprehensively won, Harbhajan was the only Indian bowler to take wickets (2-49).

The one Aussie batter who suffered the most against him was Ponting. The former Australian captain was dismissed on ten occasions (maximum by a bowler) in Tests by the Turbanator.

Statistics tell us that with 417 wickets in 103 Tests, he is India’s fourth-highest wicket-taker (14th in the world), which is a phenomenal achievement in itself.

But in my view, Harbhajan was never about these numbers. He is a character who wore emotions on his sleeves and the fans loved him for that.

In a chat show – Breakfast with Champions, his then skipper Sourav Ganguly had shared an anecdote on how he had suggested Harbhajan to also remove his shirt and twirl it in the air like him after India's famous victory at Lord's in 2002.

Well, that’s how Harbhajan remained throughout his career. Ever ready for a laugh or a prank off the field and relentless at the opposition when on the field.

Yes, he had probably retired a few years back itself and only a formal announcement was pending, but that has not come in the way of an outpouring of emotion from his colleagues and fans.

For, he always remained a man of emotions.