"The ball would hit me on the navel" - Navjot Singh Sidhu on facing Harbhajan Singh
Former Team India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu shared a video of his six to Shane Warne on his Instagram account on Tuesday, September 10. The right-handed batter shared a clip from India's Test series opener against Australia in 1998.
Sidhu shone with the bat in the Chennai Test, registering scores of 62 and 64. Hailing Warne as the greatest spinner the world has ever seen, the cricketer-turned-commentator captioned the post:
"Battle with Shane Warne - the greatest spinner the world has ever seen."
Harbhajan Singh replied to the post by using 'Sixer King', a moniker earned by Sidhu for his six-hitting abilities. The former off-spinner wrote:
"Paji Sixer King."
Responding to the comment, Sidhu mentioned that he found it tough to face Harbhajan, as the ball would often hit him on his navel due to the nip and zip. He wrote:
"Could never hit you - the nip and zip you had, the ball would hit me on the navel (dhunni) invariably puttar."
During his career, Sidhu featured in 136 ODIs and 51 Tests and finished with 7,615 runs in international cricket. It is worth mentioning that he returned to the commentary box earlier this year during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
"Used to whack you out of the park" - When Shane Warne picked Navjot Singh Sidhu as one of the best players of spin
Shane Warne reserved high praise on Navjot Singh Sidhu's ability to hit big sixes to spinners. In a video shared on his official Facebook page, here's what the spin wizard said about Sidhu in 2016:
"Navjot Singh Sidhu was one of the most violent players of spin bowling and used to whack you out of the park. So, he was another good player from India against spinners."
Warne is arguably the greatest spinner to have played the game. With 708 wickets from 145 Tests, he remains the second-highest wicket-taker in the format.
The crafty spinner died at the age of 52. He passed away from a heart attack on March 4, 2022, in Koh Samui, Thailand.