One of India's most successful spinners, Harbhajan Singh announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November last year.
After making his India debut in 1998, the 41-year-old played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is. While the off-spinner claimed 417 wickets in red-ball cricket, he picked up 269 wickets and 25 scalps in ODIs and T20Is respectively.
A consistent member of the side for nearly two decades, Harbhajan became an irregular member of the team post the 2011 World Cup, playing only 10 ODIs and 10 Tests. His last appearance for the country was against UAE in an Asia Cup 2016 match against UAE at Dhaka.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Harbhajan said that every captain he played under, picked him based on merit.
He further added that his career would not have been longer than it was had his friend Yuvraj Singh been the skipper of the national team
“I don’t think any of our careers would have been prolonged had Yuvraj been the captain. Because whatever we have played we have done it on our ability and no captain has saved us from getting the axe. Whenever you captain the country, you need to keep friendships aside and think of the country first,” Harbhajan stated.
However, he firmly believes that Yuvraj would have been a great leader, highlighting his credentials.
“If Yuvraj Singh would have been Indian captain, we would have had to sleep early and wake up early (laughs). We would have to do a lot of hard work. He would have been a great captain. His records speak for themselves as he won the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, a title that gives us respect,” he added.
During the chat, Harbhajan Singh also recalled his early cricketing days, revealing that he started out as a batter and a fast bowler.
“I started off as a batter but was also a fast bowler. Don’t know how I ended up as a spinner. But probably when I was asked what I do, I should have said that I bat. Because when you’re a batter and play for India, whole world is at your feet. You will hardly find a bowler being a ‘superstar’ as this is the batter’s game. People want to see fours and sixes hit,” he remarked.
