It would have been a surprise had Harbhajan Singh been included in the 30-man squad for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. It wasn’t meant to be, and it didn’t. But there was hope hanging around –for the Punjab spinner and his fans who bestowed upon him the title of ‘Turbanator’. For nostalgia’s sake or for not wanting to watch the mighty fall, the reality would certainly hit someday soon, and will hit hard. It wasn’t just about Harbhajan Singh, but also Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh – the first in line of fearless cricketers who were groomed under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
Harbhajan Singh epitomised the fearless young bunch of players. When Indian cricket changed forever following the 2001 win over Australia, there were two cricketers who stood out – VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh. Both reserved their best against the best, but displayed contrasting personalities. One was a gentleman, more in the mould of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble – quiet in demeanour and a fighter on the field. Harbhajan, on the other hand was more like Sourav Ganguly, wearing his emotions on his sleeve and flinching away from nothing. He displayed the aggression of a roadside thug and a heart of a lion.
Under Anil Kumble, Harbhajan prospered. Maybe without the legendary leg spinner, he could’ve played more matches for India. Nonetheless, he got his rightful due. With the passing of years and run-scoring becoming easier, Harbhajan changed. The flight disappeared and bowl started darting in at the batsmen. Even as the Punjab spinner didn’t get as many wickets, he did his job well of containing batsmen. More importantly, he remained a pivotal cog in India’s ODI squad and the second spinner in the Test side. Time and again, his doosra came under question. Be it Daryl Hair or Andrew Symonds, Harbhajan was forever an easy target for cricketing controversies.
But with passing years and more cricket, Harbhajan matured. More importantly, the natural temper was slightly tamed. While hotel staff cringed when touring Indian cricketers failed to behave, Harbhajan was among the favourites for them. He gifted his pads and other cricketing gear selflessly. With Anil Kumble’s retirement in 2008, it was believed that the passing of baton wouldn’t be so tough. Harbhajan looked like a safe custodian of Kumble’s large boots. Muttiah Muralitharan, a couple of years later claimed that Harbhajan could overtake his record of 800 Test wickets.
That, however, was the first time one got a feeling, the off-spinner couldn’t take over the position of the senior bowler. He couldn’t lead the attack as well. He prospered under Anil Kumble’s shadows better than he did on his own and there began the initial slide. He managed to pick only 56 wickets in four and a half years since Muralitharan’s retirement in July 2010.
He played just three ODIs since the glorious celebration at Mumbai in 2011. His career and chances of playing in India’s defending campaign survived in hope. With every exclusion, there was a jolt. Little did one except that arguably India’s greatest limited-overs spinner will play his last match at the age of 30. In hindsight one wonders if he deserved a place ahead of Parvez Rasool in the squad. But there will always be contradictions with the selection. The announcement of the 30-man squad on Thursday was a firm nail in the coffin. His career needs a poetry, an epitaph will be as harsh as the exclusion.
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