JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
JUST IN: Harbhajan Singh announces retirement; Says 'I bid adieu to the game that gave me everything'
Harbhajan Singh took to his social media earlier today to announce his retirement.
Harbhajan Singh, the very first Indian bowler to score a hat-trick in Test cricket, has declared his retirement from all aspects of the game. He finishes behind Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, and R Ashwin as the nation's fourth-highest wicket-taker (417). To announce his departure, he tweeted a short and grateful message. “All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable," Harbhajan wrote.
Harbhajan Singh, 41, has represented India in 103 Tests, 236 One-Day Internationals, and 28 T20Is. He made his India debut in an ODI versus Australia in 1998, and was a member of the winning WT20 team in 2007, and also was on the side that won the 2011 World Cup in India. Harbhajan Singh guided India's spin-bowling attack to seven wickets in the first T20 World Cup. Moreover, he was also India's primary spin choice in the 2011 ODI World Cup, where India beat Sri Lanka in the finals to win the title.
On his official YouTube channel, Harbhajan reminisced his early days. He talked about how his journey from the streets of Jalandhar to become the Turnabator for Team India has been a beautiful one. "There is no bigger motivation for me in life than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey,” he said. Then he added that there comes a time in life where everyone needs to take a tough decision and move forward in life.
“I was waiting for the last few years to make this announcement public - I am retiring from all forms of cricket,” he revealed. He added that though in several ways he had already retired as a cricketer, he hadn't been able to make a formal announcement. He said that he hasn’t been an active cricketer for a while yet he had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders and wished to spend the (2021) IPL season with them.
“But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire," Harbhajan informed. Letting in on his emotions, Harbhajan also said that the first time he really experienced happiness in his cricket career was the hat-trick that he took in Kolkata which made him the first Indian bowler to do so in a Test match. “I also got 32 wickets in the three Tests in that series, which is still a record," he said. "Following this, the T20 World Cup win 2007 and the [ODI] World Cup win in 2011 were most important for me. Those were moments that I can neither forget nor express in words as to how big that happiness was for me,” he expressed.
ALSO READ: Civil Aviation Ministry issues new guidelines for travellers flying to New Delhi; Read here
