Keen to prove a point on his comeback in the upcoming Test against Bangladesh, senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Sunday said that his role in the Indian team is still the “same as it used to be 5-7 years back” when he was the spearhead of the bowling attack.
“My role is same in the team as it was 5-7 years back. We need to work as a unit. All the bowlers need to back each other. When it comes to goal, it was same when I was playing alongside Anil Kumble and Amit Mishra. It is to help each other in winning games,” Harbhajan told mediapersons on the eve of team’s departure.
He has made a comeback after two years but when questioned about the difference from Harbhajan of the old, he quickly countered,”Can you see any differenceIJ There is no difference.”
India’s third highest wickettaker in Test cricket once again stressed that he always had the self-belief to make a comeback. “last two years, I’ve been out of the team but I always had that in my mind that I’m going to make a comeback. The comeback was always in my mind and thats what I was playing cricket for,” the 34 year-old said.
“I’ve played in the IPl. I keep meeting my seniors and they keep pushing me saying that I’ve got a lot of cricket left in me. I’m very happy that I’ve seniors, who’ve always been there for all of us. It’s nice to be back in the side and hopefully I can contribute to the team’s success,” he added.
Asked about his partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin, the ‘Turbanator’ said, “Our main job is to win games for Team India and working and bowling with him will always be good. Both of us are trying to win games for India. So we are going there as a team and as a team we need to push together in one direction.”
‘Virat brings intent’
He made his Test debut under Mohammed Azharuddin and had subsequently played under leadership of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan is of the opinion that young Virat Kohli brings in a lot of intent in his leadership skills. “He’s a match-winner. Irrespective of who the opposition is, he wants to win, which is a great quality. The intent is there to win the game and that’s what Virat brings on the table,” Harbhajan said.