The BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated Harbhajan Singh for a wonderful career. On Friday the 41-year old off-spinner officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He represented India in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is, picking 711 international wickets.
The premier off-spinner also picked 150 IPL wickets, representing three franchises- Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Harbhajan Singh played his last game for India in 2016
In an official release by BCCI, the secretary spoke at length about the ace spinner’s career. He also mentioned his (Harbhajan’s) useful contributions made with the bat to take India home on various occasions.
“Harbhajan Singh has had a phenomenal career with Team India. He has been a part of many memorable victories both at home and away. He played his cricket with grit and passion and wore his heart on his sleeve. His fighting spirit and his zeal to perform for India when the team was under pressure is something that always stood out. His presence on the field lifted everyone’s morale,” Jay Shah said.
“While he played a major role with the ball, picking up wickets aplenty, it must be remembered that he has also played some crucial knocks with the bat, helping us get over the line. I wish him the best for all his future endeavours and wish to see him being closely associated with the game,” he added.
Harbhajan played his game for India in an Asia Cup T20 match at Dhaka in 2016. He played his last Test match at Galle in 2015.
“In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement due to his commitment with Kolkata Knight Riders,” Harbhajan Singh spoke on his Youtube Channel.
Harbhajan Singh made his international debut way back in 1998, in a Test match against Australia at Bengaluru. The ace off-spinner is famously remembered for his heroics in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2001 when he picked 32 wickets in the 3-Test match series.
He also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick, dismissing Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne in the famous Eden Gardens Test in the same series.
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