"Don't think our careers would have been prolonged had Yuvraj been captain" - Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh have been great mates since their early playing days. However, the off-spinner doesn't feel that would have made any difference to his career span had the all-rounder been the Indian captain.
The 41-year-old is of the opinion that whichever captain he played under, he played on his merit. He also feels as a captain it is important to give preference to what the team needs rather than keeping friends happy.
Speaking in a video on Sportskeeda's YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh claimed that no captain did him favors by keeping him in the Indian team as he was there because of his performances. On this, he said:
"I don't think any of our careers would have been prolonged had Yuvraj been the captain. Because whatever we have played we have done it on our ability and no captain has saved us from getting the axe. Whenever you captain the country, you need to keep friendships aside and think of the country first."
Although Yuvraj never captained the Indian team, Harbhajan believes he would have been a great leader because he knew how to deliver in high-pressure games. He opined:
"If Yuvraj Singh would have been Indian captain, we would have had to sleep early and wake up early (laughs). We would have to do a lot of hard work. He would have been a great captain. His records speak for themselves as he won the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, a title that gives us respect."
"Sachin and Sehwag are also spectacular, but when in full flow Yuvraj really stands out."
~ @msdhoni on @YUVSTRONG12
https://t.co/9npOOPOR0K
When you're a batter and play for India, whole world is at your feet: Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh also said in a humorous way that he could have been more famous had he been a batter rather than a bowler. According to him, batters in India get more stardom than bowlers and cricket is a batter's game as crowds want to see boundaries being hit.
On this, Harbhajan stated:
"I started off as a batter but was also a fast bowler. Don't know how I ended up as a spinner. But probably when I was asked what I do, I should have said that I bat. Because when you're a batter and play for India, whole world is at your feet. You will hardly find a bowler being a 'superstar' as this is the batter's game. People want to see fours and sixes hit."
Although he was a spinner first, Harbhajan Singh was no slouch with the bat and he would certainly be proud of his two Test centuries.