The veteran Indian spin “turbanator” Harbhajan Singh on Friday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after a 23-year-long career.
“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. My heartfelt thank you…Grateful,” tweeted Singh, who has earned the moniker of “Bhajji” and also shared a YouTube video in which he explains the reasons behind his decision.
One of the finest off-break right-hand bowlers of the game, Singh was an integral part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad. He has played 103 Tests and 236 ODIs, bagging almost 700 wickets and has become an iconic figure in the international circuit.
Besides confounding batsmen in his web of spin, Singh has two hundreds in Tests and has 25 five-wicket hauls and five 10 wickets’.
In the historic Test series against Steve Waugh-led Australia in March 2001, Singh demolished the “invincible” side taking 32 wickets in three Tests, including the first hat-trick as an Indian as his bowling colleagues struggled to pick more than three wickets.
His confrontation with Andrew Symonds transformed into one of the ugliest controversies in cricket history and later, he was banned for an entire IPL season for slapping his team mate Sreeshanth.
Born on 3 July, 1980 in Jallandhar, Punjab, Singh made his Test debut for India against Australia in Bengaluru in 1998. A month later in April, he debuted in ODI against New Zealand in Sharjah.
Because of his commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2021 season, he had to delay his announcement but during the season itself, he said, that he had made up his mind to retire as “in many ways, I have already retired as a cricketer”.
He has also played for the eminent English county sides like Essex, Lancashire and Surrey.