<p>Harbhajan Singh was a busy man at the nets on Thursday -- bowling continuously for nearly 30 minutes, sharing a few thoughts with coach Duncan Fletcher and then coming out to bat after a short gap with a bat carrying his name on it. His moves oozed purpose.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The pieces came together nicely when Harbhajan stepped into the press conference hall at the MA Chidambaram stadium a little while later, confirming the hushed talks of the morning. Friday will see the wily off-spinner playing his 100th Test for India, and that too against his favourite opposition -- Australia. It might be a pleasant coincidence that he made his debut as well against the Australia in 1998 -- against Mark Taylor’s side in 1998, plucking the wickets of Greg Blewett and Darren Lehmann.<br /><br />Quite understandably, there was a smile and a contented expression on his face. “It’s the first time I’ve heard applause at a press conference for me! Thank you!” He began impishly before settling into a rather solemn mood -- cut for the occasion.<br /><br />Harbhajan played his 98th Test against England in 2011, and he had to wait this long to achieve the coveted mark. “Rather than looking at the gap, I would like to look ahead so that there's no such gap for me in the coming matches. It’s a big moment, and I’d like to look at that rather than at the past, in which a lot of good or bad has happened. I would like to ignore all that and look to play well,” he said.<br /><br />But the Punjab offie admitted that he’s a bit nervous ahead of the big day. “This is like any another Test match, but a bit nervous to start with. But hopefully, I’ll be fine. I think it's very normal. If I don't feel that way I shouldn't be playing, I guess. Once I get past 100 (Tests), let’s see what needs to be done to play another 50. I'll have to work even harder.”<br /><br />In his moment of glory, Harbhajan also chose to pay tribute to the seniors who guided him along the way. “I remember playing my first game under Azharuddin’s captaincy. It was in Bangalore, I was 17 and a half. I was just a little kid in the park, as I was playing alongside (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Javagal) Srinath, (Anil) Kumble… they were my heroes. I have come a long way from there. I never thought I'd play for India for this long and play 100 Tests. A big thanks to my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar, Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, (VVS) Laxman… I don’t know if I’d have achieved this without their support.”<br /><br />The ‘Turbanator’ was quite sure that India need to remember what the stalwarts had done in their career to re-enter the road to sunny days in Test cricket. “What I’ve learnt from these great players is to never give up. That made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere, from any situation.”<br /><br />Then there was a special mention about Kumble, his long time spin partner. “It was great to have Anil Kumble on the other side. One thing I've always cherished, when he was playing, was that he was one guy who would never give up. If he was bowling at the other end, 30th over, he’s bowling with the same intensity. I used to think -- why can’t I do this? That’s what pushed me. It was a little difficult without him. Of course, new guys have come, and they’ve done well.”<br /><br />Harbhajan will always be remembered or even judged by that phenomenal series against Australia in 2001 in which he took 32 wickets from three Tests including a hat-trick at Kolkata. However, Harbhajan wanted to focus on the Test starting on the morrow.<br /><br />“I can't keep on thinking about that, hoping I’ll repeat it. That kind of a series happens once in a lifetime, when everything clicks,” he said with a grin. <br /><br />“All I can say is that I’ll put in more effort than (what) I put in then, and hope for the results the team and I want. Whether it’s 32 wickets or 23 wickets, I’ll look to the bowl well for the team, and the results will follow.”</p>
<p>Harbhajan Singh was a busy man at the nets on Thursday -- bowling continuously for nearly 30 minutes, sharing a few thoughts with coach Duncan Fletcher and then coming out to bat after a short gap with a bat carrying his name on it. His moves oozed purpose.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The pieces came together nicely when Harbhajan stepped into the press conference hall at the MA Chidambaram stadium a little while later, confirming the hushed talks of the morning. Friday will see the wily off-spinner playing his 100th Test for India, and that too against his favourite opposition -- Australia. It might be a pleasant coincidence that he made his debut as well against the Australia in 1998 -- against Mark Taylor’s side in 1998, plucking the wickets of Greg Blewett and Darren Lehmann.<br /><br />Quite understandably, there was a smile and a contented expression on his face. “It’s the first time I’ve heard applause at a press conference for me! Thank you!” He began impishly before settling into a rather solemn mood -- cut for the occasion.<br /><br />Harbhajan played his 98th Test against England in 2011, and he had to wait this long to achieve the coveted mark. “Rather than looking at the gap, I would like to look ahead so that there's no such gap for me in the coming matches. It’s a big moment, and I’d like to look at that rather than at the past, in which a lot of good or bad has happened. I would like to ignore all that and look to play well,” he said.<br /><br />But the Punjab offie admitted that he’s a bit nervous ahead of the big day. “This is like any another Test match, but a bit nervous to start with. But hopefully, I’ll be fine. I think it's very normal. If I don't feel that way I shouldn't be playing, I guess. Once I get past 100 (Tests), let’s see what needs to be done to play another 50. I'll have to work even harder.”<br /><br />In his moment of glory, Harbhajan also chose to pay tribute to the seniors who guided him along the way. “I remember playing my first game under Azharuddin’s captaincy. It was in Bangalore, I was 17 and a half. I was just a little kid in the park, as I was playing alongside (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Javagal) Srinath, (Anil) Kumble… they were my heroes. I have come a long way from there. I never thought I'd play for India for this long and play 100 Tests. A big thanks to my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar, Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, (VVS) Laxman… I don’t know if I’d have achieved this without their support.”<br /><br />The ‘Turbanator’ was quite sure that India need to remember what the stalwarts had done in their career to re-enter the road to sunny days in Test cricket. “What I’ve learnt from these great players is to never give up. That made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere, from any situation.”<br /><br />Then there was a special mention about Kumble, his long time spin partner. “It was great to have Anil Kumble on the other side. One thing I've always cherished, when he was playing, was that he was one guy who would never give up. If he was bowling at the other end, 30th over, he’s bowling with the same intensity. I used to think -- why can’t I do this? That’s what pushed me. It was a little difficult without him. Of course, new guys have come, and they’ve done well.”<br /><br />Harbhajan will always be remembered or even judged by that phenomenal series against Australia in 2001 in which he took 32 wickets from three Tests including a hat-trick at Kolkata. However, Harbhajan wanted to focus on the Test starting on the morrow.<br /><br />“I can't keep on thinking about that, hoping I’ll repeat it. That kind of a series happens once in a lifetime, when everything clicks,” he said with a grin. <br /><br />“All I can say is that I’ll put in more effort than (what) I put in then, and hope for the results the team and I want. Whether it’s 32 wickets or 23 wickets, I’ll look to the bowl well for the team, and the results will follow.”</p>
