India’s one of the most successful off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who recently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, turned heads as he opened up about his omission from the Indian squad ‘without being given any reason.
He expressed his disappointment at being left out.
"I was 31 when I picked up my 400th Test wicket, and if a 31-year-old can pick up 400 wickets, then in the next eight-nine years, I feel I could have taken at least a hundred more. But after that, I didn't get to play matches, neither was I selected. How can someone with 400 wickets be discarded is a mysterious story in itself, which hasn't been unravelled yet. I still wonder, 'What really happened? Who had a problem with me staying in the team?'," Harbhajan said on India TV.
Harbhajan, known as The Turbanator, drew curtains to his illustrious international career with 417 Test scalps, 269 ODI dismissals, and 25 wickets in the T20Is. Despite being part of the victorious 2011 ODI World Cup campaign, Bhajji's career never got any mileage from thereon. As a result, he only represented India in a handful of games (10 Tests and ODIs each) after the showpiece event. He wasn't part of the 2013 Champions Trophy and 2015 ODI World Cup and warmed the bench throughout India's 2016 T20 WC campaign.
The 41-year old said that he tried to ask MS Dhoni, the then skipper, but didn't get anything in response.
"I tried to ask the captain [Dhoni] why, but I wasn't given a reason. I realised there is no point in me asking for the reason for this treatment, and who is behind it because if you keep asking and no one replies, then it’s better to leave it," added the former India off-spinner.
However, Harbhajan continued to remain active in the Indian Premier League despite the Team India snubbing. He ended his IPL career representing the likes of Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He finished with 150 scalps, fifth-most in the overall list.
"If someone with 400 wickets is treated like this, I wonder how a youngster would be treated. In those days, those running the BCCI, at the helm, they could have handled it better. They fell pretty short when it comes to respecting and felicitating a senior player. Not just in my case, take the cases of VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh – he’s won us two World Cups – Gautam Gambhir. I think it could have been handled better,” the disappointed Harbhajan signed off.
