I have 5-6 years of cricket in me: Harbhajan

[SachDan]

Out-of-favour off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that he still has another 5-6 years of cricket left in him. Although he praised the young spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, who are doing well currently, the fiesty off--spinner said he never shies away from competition. "I do have another 5-6 years of cricket in me. I think I can still contribute to the side for some time," Harbhajan insisted. "Competition is good for the side, I am not afraid of competition. If I was afraid of competition, I wouldn't have played international cricket for 13 years. If there is no competition, the level of the game will not rise," he said. Following his dismal performance in the West Indies and the Lord's Test in England earlier this summer, Harbhajan has been out of the Indian team since the ODI series at home against the Englishmen. However, Harbhajan was optimistic about his selection for the upcoming tour of Australia and hinted that his record against Australia would be hard for the selectors to ignore. "My job is to play cricket and perform and not worry about selection, it's the selectors' job," he told at a programme in News24. "I enjoy playing against Australia. They are very aggressive and we need to be aggressive to counter them or they will start dominating you. I still remember the famous series in 2001 where I took 32 wickets in 3 Tests and the Australian media gave me the name 'Turbanator'." Harbhajan also hoped that Sachin Tendulkar would reach his milestone 100th century in the ongoing third Test in Mumbai. "I am praying he (Tendulkar) does it in Mumbai. There is no one better than him. I really hope he does it in Mumbai, he deserves it on his home ground," he said. Harbhajan also recalled the tough times senior players of the team had during Greg Chappell's tenure as coach. "It was one of the worst phases of Indian cricket. He had divided the team completely. It is wrong to say that he got the youngsters their due, he only divided the team by creating insecurity in the team. "I was insecure, Sachin was insecure. I was told if I took five wickets, only then will I play the next match. It was not a happy feeling in the team," he said. Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind Harbhajan, saying the off-spinner should be included in the team for the upcoming tour of Australia as he has the "ability to get under their skin". "I will definitely call back Harbhajan. He's smelt the coffee against Australia more than anybody else. If you look at his record against Australia, it's better than anybody else," Shastri said. Harbhajan has failed to impress the selectors in the ongoing Ranji trophy in which he has managed to scalp only two wickets in three matches for Punjab at an average of 102. But Shastri, a former spinner himself, was quick to defend the offie. "Yes, I agree he hasn't set domestic cricket on fire, but how many spin bowlers do? Specially, on pitches that are good to bat and against players who are good against spin bowling. If you look at scorecards that go around in the last month, it's only batsmen getting runs and heaps of runs. Only fast bowlers have chipped in with wickets, but you don't see any spinners there setting the world on fire." "But in spite of all that, I would pick him, because come Australia, he has the ability to get under their skin," Shastri said. Recalling the infamous Sydney Test in 2008 when Harbhajan was in the middle of 'Monkeygate' scandal, Shastri believed that incident turned things around for India. "I think it's a vastly experienced side. It (Sydney-gate) taught them a lot and you could see the turnaround in Indian cricket. It all adds up and it all goes to show that India came better off out of that incident, than Australia did." Shastri also felt that the absence of a spinner of Shane Warne's caliber will be a disadvantage to the Australians. He also said the drubbing India received in England is history and Australian conditions will not be as hostile. "That (England tour) is history, absolute history. The conditions are different from England in many ways. You won't get that kind of lateral movement that you got in England. In England you got swing as well as seam. "Seam can trouble the Indians, but on Australian tracks which are hard and (with) the sun beating down, there might be seam movement for a session or so, but if you can see that through the ball comes on to the bat and we've got a middle order that likes the ball coming on to the bat." http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/46861/i-have-5-6-years-of-cricket-in-me-harbhajan Ah, the desperation :cantstop:

[bulbul]

first take wickets in Ranji then we will see how many years of cricket left in u also some one tell him to forget 2001 and remind 2011 also almost over

[vvvslaxman]

"But in spite of all that, I would pick him, because come Australia, he has the ability to get under their skin," Shastri said. :facepalm: So you pick a guy just to fight on the field? Second of all Australia lost their supremacy long back. You don't need to get under their skin.

[SachDan]

4 matches, 9 wickets. Average - 73.22. Strike Rate - 126.

[J P K]

"But in spite of all that' date= I would pick him, because come Australia, he has the ability to get under their skin," Shastri said. :facepalm: So you pick a guy just to fight on the field? Second of all Australia lost their supremacy long back. You don't need to get under their skin.

if they pick bhajji for his fighting skills then i want sreesanth back :protest:

[saneindian]

Ashwin and Ojha have shut the door on Bhajji for sometime now. Picking him for Australia ahead of any of them will be grossly unfair.

[Manu80]

Picking Harbajan ahead of Ashwin or Ojha will be unfair on them.In Australia we only need one spinner in the playing eleven.so picking 3 spinners in the team is not on.

[vvvslaxman]

Picking Harbajan ahead of Ashwin or Ojha will be unfair on them.In Australia we only need one spinner in the playing eleven.so picking 3 spinners in the team is not on.

unfair is a kind wird. I would say crime.

[Sid]

Harbhajan should shut up and start taking wickets in Ranji atleast.

[bulbul]

"But in spite of all that' date= I would pick him, because come Australia, he has the ability to get under their skin," Shastri said. :facepalm: So you pick a guy just to fight on the field? Second of all Australia lost their supremacy long back. You don't need to get under their skin.

what else u expect from Shasthri.... he is fighting in England because our players playing calmly...

[Dravid_TheWall]

Bhajji chewtiya we are aware of your record against Australia IN Australia and also we are aware of how poor you have bowled the last few years despite unconditional love from Mahi and co. LOL at Shastri calling him Warne calibre and also this Bhajji dominance issue. His job was to take wickets and currently Ashwin and Ojha are better than him at taking wickets, simple as. Bhajji has to show form first. Forget all this "under skin and dominance" issue. He does have the ability to dart for 5-6 years, not sure about taking test wickets though. Still a decent ODI bowler.

[Sachin=GOD]

He will make a comeback soon.

[rkt.india]

He does have the ability to dart for 5-6 years, not sure about taking test wickets though. Still a decent ODI bowler.

:haha:

[vvvslaxman]

He will make a comeback soon.

For that to happen either Ashwin or Ojha have to have a lean period . Even if that happens i am not sure how exactly Bhajji would be an automatic choice. You drop him for not taking wickets. Unless he takes wickets at any level how can he contemplate on getting back into the side. I would go for guys like Bhargav Bhatt, Appanna.

[gsivak]

I think no one should dispute the contribution Bhajji has made to the Indian team. He has always been a competitor and I do expect him to try and get back into the national team. It would be totally out of character if he said that he thinks he is done and he is conceding the place to other spinners. But it is stupid of Shastri to say what he did about giving a place to Bhajji. He is loosing whatever little credibility he has left.

[Sachin=GOD]

Bhajji chewtiya we are aware of your record against Australia IN Australia and also we are aware of how poor you have bowled the last few years despite unconditional love from Mahi and co. LOL at Shastri calling him Warne calibre and also this Bhajji dominance issue. His job was to take wickets and currently Ashwin and Ojha are better than him at taking wickets, simple as. Bhajji has to show form first. Forget all this "under skin and dominance" issue. He does have the ability to dart for 5-6 years, not sure about taking test wickets though. Still a decent ODI bowler.

:headshake: a post by you without a mention of Sreesanth

[BERGKAMP]

can someone please turbinate this turbanotor once and for all.

[Karan114]

Well, prove it by performing at domestic level first, Bhajji. An embarrassing average of 100 in the Ranji Trophy doesn't really back up your claims. Meanwhile Ashwin and Ojha have taken 32 wickets between them in the ongoing Test series.

I think no one should dispute the contribution Bhajji has made to the Indian team. He has always been a competitor and I do expect him to try and get back into the national team. It would be totally out of character if he said that he thinks he is done and he is conceding the place to other spinners. But it is stupid of Shastri to say what he did about giving a place to Bhajji. He is loosing whatever little credibility he has left.

I think that even that little credibility had been lost once he was exposed as being the BCCI's paid mouthpiece.

[Karan114]

I still remember the famous series in 2001 where I took 32 wickets in 3 Tests and the Australian media gave me the name 'Turbanator'.

4 matches' date=' 9 wickets. Average - 73.22. Strike Rate - 126.[/quote'] For some strange reason, he doesn't seem to remember his record in Australia quite as well :cantstop:

[ganeshran]

If Bhajji wants to come back, he needs to do well in Ranji. There is no free ticket back in the team to justify his selection ahead of Ashwin and Ojha