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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was all praise for just-retired Harbhajan Singh on a sparkling career, terming him an absolute match winner.
Harbhajan Singh called it quits to his career on Friday (December 24) after an illustrious 23-year stint in international cricket.
“I congratulate Harbhajan Singh on a remarkable career. As a bowler, he hated putting fielders in the deep. Bhajji has been an absolute match winner. He should be proud of what he has achieved. I want to tell him that the new innings in his life will be as exciting,” Ganguly said in a BCCI statement.
"He has faced several challenges in his life, but Bhajji is not the one to give up. He has overcome many hurdles and put many setbacks behind him to rise every time. What inspired me the most about him was his hunger to perform," he added.
"His strength was his guts and courage. He was always very passionate, and his immense self-belief meant he never shied away from a fight. He also kept the dressing room atmosphere light and that is something really important," added the former captain, who had lot of faith in Harbhajan's abilities and brought him back during that epic series against Australia in 2001.
Ganguly rated Harbhajan's breath-taking performance against Aussies as one of the best, saying the off-spinner was always a "captain's delight".
“His first full Test series against Australia in 2001 is the greatest that I have seen where one bowler single-handedly won the series. He was a captain's delight,” the former India captain spoke highly of Harbhajan.
A fierce competitor, Harbhajan ended his glittering career as the fourth-highest wicket-taker from India in Tests with 417 wickets and fifth among Indian bowlers in ODIs with 269 scalps.
He holds the honour of being the first Indian to take a Test hat-trick when he dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne in successive balls in the famous 2001 Kolkata Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
His astonishing match tally of 13/196 helped the team to a stunning victory as India became only the third team to win a Test after being forced to follow on.
Having debuted in 1998 against Australia in Bengaluru first as a 17-year-old, Harbhajan represented the country for close to two decades. He featured in the elite 100-Test club and is only the second Indian spinner after Anil Kumble to have played over 100 Tests for India.
Harbhajan also played a key role in helping India win the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and was later instrumental in India becoming the first team to win a World Cup at home in 2011.
