Celebrated off-Spinner Harbhajan Singh bids farewell to all form of cricket

CricBouncer DeskDecember 24, 2021Last Updated: December 24, 2021

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Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of the game, putting an end of a illustrated career that last for over 20 years. He represented India in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is – picking up 417, 269 and 25 wickets respectively.

In a video message on Twitter, the former India off-spinner revealed that he has decided to bid farewell to his favourite sport. Harbhajan stated that he had retired in many ways but because of his commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL the formal announcement had to be delayed.

“There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket,” he said.

“In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement. I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire,” Harbhajan Singh added.

https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1474302128311062533?s=20

Harbhajan Singh made his international debut in 1998 but recorded the high when he powered India to a 2-1 over Australia in 2001, ending their unbeaten run. He picked up 32 wickets overall, including the best Test figures of 8 for 84 in Chennai.

The off-spinner from Punjab was part of India’s World Cup winning campaigns in 2007 and 2011. He played his last international game against the UAE in the T20 Asia Cup in 2016.

“It has been a beautiful journey over 25 years, right from the gullies of Jalandhar to becoming the Turbanator of India,” he said in the statement. “Nothing has been more motivating for me than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey.

“Like every [Indian] cricketer, even I wished to bid goodbye in an India jersey, but fate had something else in store for me. Irrespective of the side I represented, I have always given my 100% commitment to ensure my team finishes on top – whether it was India, Punjab, Mumbai Indians, CSK [Chennai Super Kings], KKR or the county teams of Surrey and Essex,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.

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