Harbhajan Singh set for 100th Test appearance

With 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 3227 and a strikerate of 681 Harbhajan has been one of India39s most prolific bowlers even though he has been enduring a tough phase for some time The offspinner will become only the 10th Indian cricketer to achieve the milestone after it was confirmed that he will be in the playing eleven for the series opener quotIt39s a big gamequot Harbhajan who interestingly found fame after wrecking the same team in the famous 2001 series said at the prematch press conference here quotThe previous 99 are gone Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine I have faced these situations beforequot the 32yearold spinner added Talking about the milestone Harbhajan said the next target would be to add another 50 Tests to his CV quotI have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited These things happen Bit nervous to start with but I will be fine quotOnce I get away with 100 we will see what needs to be done to play another 50odd Probably I will have to work even harderquot he said Reflecting on a career which has had its share of highs and lows Harbhajan said he has learnt never to give up through the journey quotIt39s been a journey with lots of ups and downs No one can always be at the top and no one will be always down You will have ups and down like normal guys doing routine thingsquot Harbhajan said Harbhajan Singh during a Test match Pic Suresh KK quotWhat I39ve learnt from great players is to never give up These guys have done so well for India made themselves great cricketers and ambassadors for the game They had one thing in common never give up That made this team successful They showed us how to work hard quotThey made us believe we can win anywhere from any situation I39m very lucky very proud that I39ve played with all these greats like Sourav Ganguly Rahul DravidI repeat their names because without their support I wouldn39t have achieved thisquot he added Asked how he kept himself motivated during the tough times especially after being dropped from the team Harbhajan said the desire to be a part of the squad kept him going quotPlaying for India itself is a big motivation When you39re not playing that39s what motivates youthat I should be there playing for India I should work hard for the team and get there quotIt comes to individuals if you want to work hard at that stage or you want to just sit back and say I39ve playedit39s fine whether I get picked up for India or not But I want to play for India and that39s the only thing I wantedquot he said quotI really worked hard whatever time I was out I wanted to come back and do well for the team If you39re willing to work hard God will help you I39ve always believed I was trying to stick to this work hard have faith in God and you39ll get the chances opportunitiesquot he added Some of his most significant milestones have come against Australia but Harbhajan said he doesn39t quite understand the connection with the team from Down Under quotI don39t know if I have a special connection with Australia but it39s nice to see your name alongside with greats like Sachin Tendulkar Sunny Gavaskar and all the greats who have played for India in 100 Test matchesquot Harbhajan said quotIt39s a big moment I remember playing my first game under Mohd Azharuddin39s captaincy It was in Bangalore I was 17 and I had no clue about what was going to happen I was just a little kid in the park I was star struck by looking at these players I was playing alongside Tendulkar Javagal Srinath Anil Kumble These were my heroes It was a great moment Harbhajan said he never thought he would play this long for India quotI never thought I39d play for India for this long and play 100 Test matches God had been really kind I would like to thank the Almighty for giving me this opportunity And of course a big thanks to my teammates and great seniors like Tendulkar Kumble Srinath Rahul Dravid Laxman quotThese guys have been fantastic I don39t know if I39d have achieved this without their support I thank each and every one who stood by me and supported me I39m just going to go out and enjoy this big match tomorrow and hopefully I39ll do wellquot he said When queried about the 2001 series against Australia in which he took 32 wickets Harbhajan said that feat is behind him now quotThat was a long way back I can39t keep on thinking about that again and again hoping I39ll repeat that That kind of a series happens once in a lifetime when everything clicksquot he said quotAll I can say is that I39ll put in more effort than I put in then and hope for the results me and the team wants Whether it39s 32 wickets or 23 wickets I39ll look to the bowl well for the team and the results will followquot He has been relegated from the spin spearhead39s role to being the third choice at times but Harbhajan doesn39t mind the transition quotAt the end of the day you39re doing things for the team whether you39re No 3 spinner or the No 2 spinner I don39t mind playing as the No 4 as long as I get to do the job for the teamquot Harbhajan said quotAt the end of the day 11 people walk in to do the job for the team It doesn39t matter whether you39re No 3 or No 4 or No 6 or whatever numberquot he explained On the most cherished moment of his career Harbhajan recalledquotagainst Australia in 2001 and the second moment when we became the No 1 side in the world That was very satisfyingquot Dubbed feisty for his aggression Harbhajan said he has become mature with age quotI39ve definitely grown up I was 17 and a half then now I39m 32 I39ve mellowed down with time you learn a few things I39ve made a few mistakes earlier in my career due to my extra aggression Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn39t But with time I39ve learnt a lot I look forward to being a better personquot he said Harbhajan said combining with the legendary Anil Kumble was one of the best learning experiences for him quotObviously it was great to have Anil Kumble on the other side a guy like him who39s got such experience with him One thing I39ve always cherished when he was playing he was one guy who would never give up quotIf he was bowling at the other end 30th over he39s bowling with the same intensity I used to think why can39t I do this That39s what pushed me It was a little difficult without him Of course new guys have come they39ve done well It take long time to fill his shoes but the new guys have done well in whatever cricket they39ve playedquot he said Queried about the form slump of the team Harbhajan said amends can be made for the debacles of the past few months if the team clicks in unison He also defended his prediction of a 40 win for India in the series starting tomorrowu00a0 quotif we stick too our basics it is very hard to beat us in India though we didn39t win in our last series against England and didn39t play to our potential We have been the No 1 team in the world that doesn39t come like a dream We39ve worked hardquot Harbhajan said quotThese are the same guys who39ve taken the team to that position Why I said we could beat them 40 is that if we don39t believe who will I believe that we can do it then we work towards it You39ve got to believe in yourself to make things happen you work towards itquot he said Criticised quite often despite over 400 Test wickets in his kitty Harbhajan said he does not get too affected by it quotHow do I handle I just keep quiet Everyone has got their opinion but unfortunately or fortunately people who have not played to that level if they say things like I39m not good enough to play for India it doesn39t matterquot he said quotWhat matters is what my teammates think of me Those guys are going to be with you that39s what matters Everyone has got opinions even I39ve got my opinion about others it39s not that I39m right all time You39ve got to live with itquot he added Despite the relative inexperience of the visiting Australian team Harbhajan said the Indians cannot afford to take it lightly quotEarlier Australian teams when they39ve come to India I can see in their batting line up up to No 11 all of them were matchwinners experienced players quotIn this team most of them have played in the IPL but not in the longer format The Australians come hard at you whatever team they might have come with You39ve got be there and focus on your job rather than thinking if they39re coming here for the first timequot he said quotThe Australian team is always a good team to play against I39m sure it39ll be a good seriesquot he added u00a0