Harbhajan Singh content with his performance in the ODI series, but eagerly awaits Test return
Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh revealed that the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa was a good challenge for him, and that he enjoyed bowling to the South African batsmen, reports TOI. The 35-year old had a decent series, picking up 6 wickets in 4 matches.
"It was a series that I really enjoyed playing. It is always a challenge when you face a world class opposition and that's exactly when you would need to give more than 100 percent for the team. I am personally very satisfied with how I bowled in the series,” he said.
Bhajji was brought in as a replacement for the injured Ravichandran Ashwin in the second ODI at Indore and grabbed his opportunity with both hands, picking up wickets at crucial junctures throughout the series. His economy of just above 5 was a key factor in restricting the Protean batsmen.
The Turbanator wasn’t included in the 15-man squad for the Test series and he stated that he sorted things out with the Test captain, Kohli. He, however, remained very much optimistic about his comeback.
"The captain (Test skipper Kohli) told me that since South Africa will have three right-handers (Amla, du Plessis and de Villiers) in their top-order, they wanted a left-arm spinner (Jadeja) to go with an off-spinner. It was really nice of them to explain me the situation. But I will certainly fight and win my place back in the Test team," he said.
The offie who is the third highest wicket-taker in Tests for India with 417 scalps, maintained the importance of performing well in all the 3-formats of the game. "Yes, I have done well in the ODIs but I have not thought that I will play any specific formats. Each and every format is very important for me. I want to play all the three formats and do well for the country in each of them."
Recalling his performance in the ODI series, Bhajji attributed his success to the captain’s well-executed plan in restricting key South African batsmen. "The captain always has a plan in mind and as a bowler it is my job to execute it. How I implement it is upto me but you need to put your hand up in tough situations. I would prefer bowling to AB, Faf or Quinton as they are attacking players. It gives me a chance to devise various strategies," he stated.