The BCCI didn't want me and captain MS Dhoni may have supported that: Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has made a sensational revelation, claiming that some BCCI officials were involved in his axing from the side at the turn of the last decade.
Harbhajan, who recently retired from all forms of cricket, was first dropped from the Indian team back in 2011 following a prolonged lean patch.
Speaking on Zee News, he claimed that had he played for another 3-4 years, he would have taken another 150 wickets. Harbhajan said:
"Luck has always favoured me. Just some external factors were not by my side and maybe they were completely against me. This is because of the way I was bowling or the rate at which I was moving ahead. I was 31 when I took 400 wickets and if I would have played another 4-5 years, keeping in mind the kind of standards I had set for myself, I can tell you that I would have taken another 100-150 wickets or more."
Harbhajan also reckoned that then skipper MS Dhoni was also in support of the officials who wanted him out of the side.
"Yes, MS Dhoni was the captain then but I think this thing was above Dhoni's head. To a certain extent, there were some BCCI officials who were involved in this and they didn't want me and the captain may have supported that, but a captain can never be above the BCCI. The BCCI officials have always been bigger than the captain, coach or the team," he revealed.
All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.
My heartfelt thank you 🙏 Grateful .youtu.be/9Xn0oAeJ7v8
Singh was recalled to the team on multiple occasions between 2011-2015 but the 'turbanator' failed to regain a permanent spot in the side.
"Dhoni had better backing than other players" - Harbhajan Singh
The former off-spinner also alluded to the relentless backing that Dhoni enjoyed at the behest of the BCCI during his reign as skipper.
He also lamented the fact that other great cricketers like Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, and co. did not enjoy the same kind of support from the governing body or selectors. He said:
"Dhoni had better backing than other players; and if the rest of the players would have got the same kind of backing, then they would have played as well. It wasn't as if the rest of the players forgot to swing a bat or didn't know how to bowl all of a sudden.
''The big names like VVS (Laxman), Rahul (Dravid), Viru (Virender Sehwag), and many others who took retirement later didn't get the chance."
Singh signed off by stating his desire to have a biopic made on his career. But he quipped he is still undecided on who will be the villain of his story as there are many.
"I would like a film or a web series made on my life so that people can also know my side of the story, what kind of a guy I am, and what I do. Can't say who would be the villain!"
Harbhajan finished his decorated career with a total of 711 international wickets across all formats.