Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly congratulated spinner Harbhajan Singh as the latter has announced his retirement from all the formats of crickets on Friday.
The 41-year-old spinner has played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is for Men in Blue. He scalped 294 wickets in limited-overs cricket.
"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," stated Ganguly in an official BCCI release.
"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," he added.
On the other hand, BCCI secretary Jay Shah also extended good wishes to Harbhajan for his life ahead and said that his presence on the field lifted everyone's morale.
"Harbhajan Singh has had a phenomenal career with Team India. He has been a part of many memorable victories both at home and away. He played his cricket with grit and passion and wore his heart on his sleeve. His fighting spirit and his zeal to perform for India when the team was under pressure is something that always stood out. His presence on the field lifted everyone's morale," said Jay Shah.
"While he played a major role with the ball, picking up wickets aplenty, it must be remembered that he has also played some crucial knocks with the bat, helping us get over the line. I wish him the best for all his future endeavours and wish to see him being closely associated with the game," he added.
Harbhajan played his last red-ball match against Sri Lanka in 2015 while his last ODI was against South Africa in the same year. His last game for India was a T20I against UAE in the 2016 Asia Cup. Since then, he was not picked for the Indian side.
Harbhajan retires after scalping 417 wickets in 103 Tests at an average of 32.46. The 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup winner is also the first Indian to scalp a Test hat-trick.
Overall, Jalandhar-born cricketer has played 367 international games and claimed 711 international wickets and scored 3,569 international runs.
( With inputs from ANI )
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