Bhajji hopeful of T20 Cup berth

Mohali: The tattoo on his left hand, a first for the off-spinner and previously the ‘go-to man’ in the Indian cricket team, reads ‘Faith’. It is almost a year since Harbhajan Singh donned the India colours. The one thing the Sardar has dwelt on a great deal lately, it appears, is faith.

Rejection can easily dull one’s own belief. Left out of India’s Test squad since the match against Australia in March last year, Harbhajan, who has 413 Test scalps to his name, has remarkably managed to keep faith in himself. He believes the fight is not over yet. He is merely biding his time. Until then, he enjoys life — with an ample philosophy thrown in for good measure.

“Life is great, I have no complaints,” Harbhajan said. “God has given me everything. Cricket is a very special part of my life, but life is much bigger than the game. There are lots of other things to do in life.” 

Harbhajan, who now heads Punjab’s Ranji Trophy side, has no qualms in admitting that he’s had a lot of free time since the Indian Premier League last year and even overcame ‘needle phobia’ to get the tattoo done. “I like the word. It is something I was thinking (about) and wanted for many years, but I was too scared of needles. Also, I never had the time to get it done earlier. But after the IPL last year, I had plenty of time on hand, so I decided to get it done. It wasn’t all that painful.”

Harbhajan hasn’t played a T20 international since September 2012, but believes he has the ability to step up to the plate when the occasion demands. “Glad to be back in the mix again and hopefully, I will make it to the 15 (for T20 World Cup). I’ve done well in the IPL and Champions League T20 and I’m hoping for the best,” he said.

While the national selectors haven’t shown much faith in the seasoned player’s abilities, his IPL team, the Mumbai Indians, has stuck by him. Bhajji, who is one of the five players retained by the franchisee for the forthcoming season, was glad he doesn’t have to go through the grind of the auction. 

“When you go into the auction you don’t know which team you will get into,” he said. “I have always played for MI and they have stood by me even when I was not doing well. They have been very supportive and it is great to be a part of the MI set-up once again.”