It was against Australia that Harbhajan Singh made his mark in international cricket. In that famous series in 2001, he claimed 32 wickets in three Tests to emerge one of the star performers as India registered a shock series victory. He also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket.
Harbhajan made his international debut in 1998, but soon after his career was threatened by investigations into the legality of his bowling action. He failed to find a permanent place in the Indian team and considered quitting the game and moving to the United States to drive trucks for a living.
The last few years have been a see-saw ride for him, as he struggled with consistency. He was dropped from the Test squad last year and lost his place in the ODI team earlier this year. But after making a comeback for the triumphant Twenty20 World Cup campaign, the 27-year-old soon regained his place in the Test team, for the recently-concluded series against Pakistan, which he believes was played on the flattest wickets ever found.
The outspoken 'offie' spoke with Special Correspondent Harish Kotian before departing for the tour of Australia.
You seem to relish playing against Australia. You have a very good record against them, having taken 56 wickets in eight Test matches. What motivates you when playing against them?
I always give my best shot whenever I play for India, whether it is Australia or any other team. Australia is a very good team, so they bring out the best from within you too. You can't be on the backfoot when you play against them; you have to match their performance. That is why you always need to be at your best when playing against Australia.
In the last ODI series against Australia, both teams were seen engaged in verbal spats. In fact, all the Indian players were seen having a go at the Aussies. What made you guys so angry? Nothing of that was witnessed against Pakistan?
I don't know why so much of hype is being created over the spats and calling it a war of words. It doesn't make any difference, because at the end of the day you need to perform with the bat and the ball when you go out to play. If cricket was played with the mouth, we would have had so many great players. These small things happen in the sport, so we must not read too much into it and just focus on the cricket.
But did the Australian players make a deliberate attempt to infuriate the Indian team with their constant chatting?
Maybe that is the way they play their cricket. If they want to play like that then we won't sit back, relax and listen. If they say something nasty, they will have to hear the same from us as well. We are going there to play cricket, not to listen to their crap.
Could you confirm whether the Australian players used abusive language during the ODI series?
Of course, they used words which were not on. But, anyways, it's over now and we should not be talking too much about it. We are going on a tour which is very crucial for us and hope to perform to our potential.
Many believe that Australia has the best batting line-up in the world. How do you plan to counter them?
Obviously, people are not lying when they say that. They are the best team in the world and it is not only their batting, but they have got good bowlers also. They have been winning lots and lots of matches too. India is the only team that has over the years done well against them. We also performed well when we toured Australia last time. We hope to repeat our good showing on this tour too and I am sure that if we play to our potential we can surprise them.
Even though it is too early to say, being a spinner, has it helped having a fellow-spinner, Anil Kumble, as the captain?
He is a very honest guy. I have played with Kumble for the last 8-9 years. He is a great leader and a fighter to the core. He has a great attitude and will keep fighting till the last ball. So if we youngsters can learn a few things from him then I am sure we can take Indian cricket to the next level.
You have played just one Test match in Australia. So how do you see the challenge of bowling on pitches that mainly support pacers?
It is a big challenge for any spinner to bowl in Australia. But, as I said, at the end of the day you are playing for your nation, so you must go out there and give your best shot. If I can go out there and bowl well then I am sure that I will end up wickets. That is what I am looking to do in Australia.
Your last Test match was in the West Indies last year. Was it a big relief when you made a comeback for the Test series against Pakistan?
Not really! [a big relief]. Whenever I have played cricket, I have played with pride. I knew it was just a matter of time before I made it back to the Test side and played as a regular member of the team. Obviously, it felt nice to get back into the team and I am very happy.
The recent Test series against Pakistan was played on flat pitches. As a spin bowler, how difficult is it to bowl on pitches loaded so much in favour of the batsmen?
It was sad to have those types of wickets. They could have produced better wickets. But you can't really keep complaining about the wickets. You have to go out and bowl on whatever wicket you are given, because it is not in our control to make wickets. But we hope to get wickets that at least produce results. It should not be totally loaded in the batsmen's favour, where they score at will, but have nothing for the fast bowlers or spinners. As long as there is something for the fast bowlers and spinners, we can expect to get a result; otherwise, you will have scores of 700-800 runs being scored.
How would you rate your bowling in the Test series against Pakistan?
I think I bowled well, but sometimes numbers don't tell the real story. I think it was good to take that five-wicket haul in Kolkata and there were a couple of missed chances. I must say I bowled well in the series and helped the team whenever needed. I am really happy at the way things are going on.
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