"I hated bowling to him because he used to annoy the hell out of me" - Brett Lee recalls battles with Harbhajan Singh during IND-AUS clashes

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee recently recalled India's legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being a challenge to bowl to due to his annoying mind games. While Harbhajan often tormented Australia with the ball in the 2000s, his lower-order runs frustrated the Aussie bowlers on several occasions.

The right-handed batter scored over 3,500 runs across formats in international cricket with two centuries and nine half-centuries. Harbhajan scored four of his nine 50s against Australia in 63 outings.

When asked about the challenge of bowling to Indian batters during his career, Lee surprisingly told the LiSTNR Sport podcast about the frustrations of trying to dismiss Harbhajan.

"Harbhajan Singh. I hated bowling to him because he used to annoy the hell out of me, and I've told him this. He is an absolute legend of a bloke; I hope he hears this because – and he knows – he used to frustrate the sh** out of me when I bowled to him. He would sledge and he would hop in and going after me, 'You're quick'. I could never get him; I was always exhausted," he said.

Lee added:

"When he came in to bat, it was at the wrong end of a spell. When I said, 'Mate, you're a bloody ripping bloke. Why don't you show me how good you are or how nice you are? He goes, 'because I like that edge. I want to come across as if I am arrogant, or a person who is chirping in.' So he was giving it back to us what we gave to them. Lovely guy."

Despite Lee's admission, he did manage to get the better of Harbhajan thrice in 21 balls in ODIs.

However, the speedster had no success against the Indian off-spinner in 76 balls in Tests and T20Is.

"It started in that game when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman batted the whole day" - Brett Lee

Laxman and Dravid thwarted the Aussies in India's famous Eden Gardens win in 2001. [Credit: Getty]

Brett Lee further felt India's players derived confidence facing Australia after the famous partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid in the Kolkata Test of 2001.

Trailing 0-1 in the best-of-three series, India were made to follow on in the second Test at Eden Gardens. However, Laxman and Dravid added an incredible 376 runs for the fifth wicket to help India eventually script a stunning 171-run victory.

After leveling the series with the Kolkata win, India went on to clinch the series 2-1 with a two-wicket win in the third Test at Chennai.

"It started in that game when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman batted the whole day. I was injured at home, watching it with my arm in a sling. It was them saying, 'We can match Australia. Not just match; we can beat them'. And now with Kohli, I love the way Kohli plays. He is such a good player… with that aggression. And you've got different guys like back in the day, MS Dhoni… didn't say anything. Just did what he had to do and wouldn't back down," said Lee.

India have started gaining the upper hand over the mighty Aussies, especially in Tests, over the past decade. Having won the last four bilateral Test series against Australia, India will look to continue the streak in the upcoming five-Test series Down Under, starting November 22.

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