"He Was A Captain's Delight": Sourav Ganguly Pays Glowing Tribute To Harbhajan Singh's Career

Ex-India captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly paid a glowing tribute to his former teammate Harbhajan Singh after the latter announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday. Recalling the spin great's stellar career, Ganguly stated in a BCCI press release, "I congratulate Harbhajan Singh on a remarkable career. He has faced several challenges in his life, but Bhajji is not the one to give up. He has overcome many hurdles and put many setbacks behind him to rise every time. What inspired me the most about him was his hunger to perform. His strength was his guts and courage. He was always very passionate, and his immense self-belief meant he never shied away from a fight. He also kept the dressing room atmosphere light and that is something really important."

Ganguly, who captained India to a historic series win over Australia in 2001, with Harbhajan picking a hat-trick -- the first by an Indian bowler in the format -- added: "His first full Test series against Australia in 2001 is the greatest that I have seen where one bowler single-handedly won the series.

"He was a captain's delight. As a bowler, he hated putting fielders in the deep. Bhajji has been an absolute match winner. He should be proud of what he has achieved. I want to tell him that the new innings in his life will be as exciting."

Earlier on Friday, Harbhajan posted a video on YouTube announcing his retirement. "There comes a time in life, you have to take tough decisions and you have to move on. From the past year, I wanted to make an announcement, and I was waiting for the right time to share the moment with all of you," Harbhajan said.

"Today, I am taking retirement from all formats of cricket. Mentally, I retired earlier but couldn't announce it. In any case, I have not been playing active cricket for some time but due to my commitment with Kolkata Knight Riders, I wanted to stay with them for the IPL (2021) season. But during the season, I had already made up my mind to retire," he added.

"Like every cricketer, I wanted to bid adieu, wearing an Indian jersey but destiny had other plans. For whichever team I have played, I have played with 100 per cent commitment, so that my team finishes on top."

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Sourav Ganguly Harbhajan Singh