Harbhajan Singh announces retirement from competitive cricket

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has announced retirement from all forms of cricket. He took to his Twitter timeline and announced his move to end the 23-year-long career where he emerged as a veteran of more than 100 games and 400 wickets in the longest format.

There have been media reports in the last few months suggesting that he was to call time on his career and take up the mentoring role for a side in the Indian Premier League.

Harbhajan, who was fondly called “Bhajji” and “Turbanator” by his teammate was an instrumental factor in the rise of India in all forms of the game.

He had made his Test debut in 1998 against Australia and burst onto the scene with his off-spin and the ability to extract bounce against the Steve Waugh-led Australian side. 

He made his ODI debut in the same year and went on to play 236 games in Indian colours and took 269 wickets.

He made his debut in the shortest version of the game in the year 2006 and played a crucial part in India’s dream run and championship in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007.

He was also a huge player in the Indian Premier League and played a massive role in the unprecedented rise of the Mumbai Indians.

He last played for India in the year 2016.

 

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Rahul, Mayank bank on Dravid's experience for 'best preparation' against Proteas challenge

Team India are short of match practice as they head into a high-stake Test series against South Africa, but their openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are relying on the experience and inputs from their head coach Rahul Dravid, who has had a fair share of experience of playing in the rainbow nation. Rahul has put his faith in the expertise of Dravid and said that the veteran of 164 Tests is putting his best forward to help players get the best possible preparation for the series. Rahul also emphasized Mayank Agarwal’s long term association and bonhomie with Dravid, who was heading India A setup while the opener was doing the hard yards to earn a place in the India Test side and said that his presence has been a massive boost for the squad before the tour. "Having Rahul Dravid with us this time is very helpful. He has played a lot of cricket here, he has scored a lot of runs. In the three or four days of training that we have had, he has had a lot of experiences to share and he is really helping us prepare the best we can. That's a huge boost for us," Rahul said. "I think you've [Mayank Agarwal] had a great experience with him playing in India As and you've played a lot of cricket under him," Rahul added. Mayank highlighted Dravid’s role in helping one in “understanding your game, understanding yourself and understanding your mind space” while playing at the highest level. He said that Dravid has also put efforts to prepare players for stiff challenges and the story has not been any different in South Africa where they have been involved in gruelling practice sessions despite not playing any competitive cricket. "For me personally, he has just been a person who talks about understanding your game, understanding yourself and understanding your mind space. If you can work that out, sort that out then more often than not you are giving yourself the best possible chance to succeed. Knowing him, he is a man who really thrives and puts the onus on good, strong preparation. We've had quality sessions over here [South Africa] and we are really looking forward to playing the Test match," Mayank said. India will start their campaign in South Africa on December 26 followed by two Tests and three-match long ODI series.

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SA vs IND | 'Grown-up' Duaane Olivier cherishing return, but aware of 'mixed feelings' among Proteas

It was not a smooth way back for Duanne Oliver after Brexit ended his Kolpak career prematurely and abruptly as the South Africa head coach Mark Boucher asked him to do the hard yards in their “system” instead of welcoming him on the basis of his overseas record and international past. The right-armer did exactly what he was urged to do and picked up a bagful of wickets in South Africa’s first-class competition to stake claim a place in the 20-man squad for the series against India that the Proteas are looking forward to as a start of a new era. Oliver’s return could have been delayed if not for an injury to Anrich Nortje, and also a return after leaving the “system” two years back could well be expected to be a bit complex affair for both the Proteas side and himself. The good thing is that the pacer is not expecting a grand and smooth entry either and he is aware of the “mixed feelings” his teammates would have about his move to leave South Africa in the past. "I know people will have mixed feelings about it, but at the end of the day, it's okay. You handle that and you deal with those pressures or the criticism that comes with that,” Oliver said about his return to the Proteas Test side. Oliver burst onto the scene for South Africa for his ability to extract bounce from short of good length area and he started off his international career on a promising note with 48 wickets from 10 Tests at staggeirng set of numbers such as an average of 19.25 and strike rate of 30 balls per wicket. But, the 29-year old believes that stint in the English County Championship for Yorkshire has helped him become “more mature and grown-up”. In terms of bowling, he said that bowling in the UK has helped him add a few more weapons in his armoury as he has become more equipped in bowling the “fuller length” which holds keys to success in the longest format on pitches where there are a lot of assistance for pace bowlers. "Firstly, I am more mature and a bit more grown up. And from a cricketing point of view, I do genuinely believe I am different. The UK helped me a lot in perfecting that fuller length that every bowler wants to bowl. For me, it was quite difficult because it can come across floaty and I wasn't that consistent. I am still working on it and I am not going to get it right every single time but the three years I spend in the UK helped me immensely, just the way I approach my game. I can still go short if I want to, but at the end of the day, the games dictates that. People thought I only bowl short and fair enough, I did that but now I feel like I have a different element to my game,” he added. Oliver is likely to form the trio of pacers for South Africa including Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in the three-match series against India and he would want only the ball to talk for him after a lot of hype and build-up related to his return to the international stage.