Harbhajan Singh played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is for India from 1998- 2016.
Though he last played for India in 2016, Harbhajan continued to be part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and said that retiring was a tough call he had to make but that in his mind he had called it quits after having not played for India in the last few years.
Harbhajan Singh played for Kolkata Knight Riders after a successful stint with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. The veteran spinner was bought for Rs 2 crore by KKR in the IPL 2020 auction and he was retained by the franchise in 2021. However, he only played three games in IPL 2021 but acted as a mentor for young spinners in the franchise.
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Here is the full statement from Harbhajan Singh:
"There comes a time in life, you have to take tough decisions and you have to move on. From the past year, I wanted to make an announcement, and I was waiting for the right time to share the moment with all of you. Today, I am taking retirement from all formats of cricket. Mentally, I retired earlier but couldn't announce it. In any case, I have not been playing active cricket for some time but due to my commitment with Kolkata Knight Riders, I wanted to stay with them for the IPL (2021) season. But during the season, I had already made up my mind to retire,” Harbhajan Singh said.
“Like every cricketer, I wanted to bid adieu, wearing an Indian jersey but destiny had other plans. For whichever team I have played, I have played with 100 percent commitment, so that my team finishes on top.
Whatever I have managed to achieve in my life, it is thanks to the blessings of my Guruji Sant Harcharan Singh. He gave direction to my life and all his teachings will continue to stay with me. My father Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha and my mother Avtar Kaur Plaha have struggled a lot to make sure my dreams come true. It's thanks to their hard work that I could play international cricket,” he added.
God knows how much my sisters have prayed for me. And thanks to their prayers, I have got all the happiness in the world. Whatever I do for them will probably not be enough. I have missed so many Rakshabandhans with you. But I promise, now, I will not give you even a single chance of complaining. You are my rockstars, my sisters, and I love you. You are the pillars of my family.
To my wife Geeta -- I just want to tell you that your love completes me. Thank you for being with me on this journey. You have seen the best and the worst of me. Now, I have a lot of time to stay with you and I will not give you a chance to complain that I do not give you time.
All good things come to an end- Harbhajan Singh announces retirement from cricket
Hinaya Heer and Jovan Veer -- you are both my lives and when you both grow up, I hope you will get to know what your father did in cricket. I am happy that I will have a lot of time to spend with you and that I can see you grow up,” Harbhajan further said.
Harbhajan Singh in his India career picked 417 Test wickets, 269 ODI wickets, and 25 T20I scalps. He also captained Mumbai Indians in the inaugural edition of the tournament and in the interim as well during his career.
The 2007 World Cup, and of course the 2011 World Cup triumph was the most important to me. These are memorable moments I will never be able to forget. I can't describe it in words how much happiness I got from it.
During this journey, I had the companionship of many people that very few have. From these, some became friends and some became part of my family. From U-14 to India seniors and IPL -- I want to thank all my teammates and all the opposition players, and also thank all my coaches, groundsmen, umpires, media, and every person that has encouraged me to do well in life. And from the bottom of my heart, I also want to thank all those fans who prayed for me when I was representing the Indian cricket team,” he reminisced.
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“Also want to thank BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah, all the members of the BCCI. Also, thank the Punjab Cricket Association. MP Pandove sir, IS Bindra sir, both will always be very close to my heart.
Cricket was, is, and will remain an integral part of my life. I have served Indian cricket for many years, and I will try and make sure that I continue to serve Indian cricket going forward.
I don't know what the future holds for me. But today I am what I am thanks to cricket. I will be happy to serve Indian cricket in any role. A new chapter of my life is beginning, and I believe me your 'Turbanator' is ready for that test as well,” he ended his statement.
Here is the video of Harbhajan Singh’s retirement announcement: