'I never thought that there was anything wrong with my action'

Faisal Shariff

Not so long ago an 18-year-old lad was handed a dismissal letter and asked to pack his bags and leave the celebrated National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The authorities concerned, especially a gentleman by the name of Hanumant Singh, a former Test player, cited 'indiscipline' as the reason for his removal. Harbhajan Singh, along with Nikhil Haldipur, a promising left-hand opener and Murali Kartik, a left-arm tweaker who is rated by Rahul Dravid as one of India's most promising spinners, were given marching orders from the academy and, with it, a damaged character certificate.

It was alleged that the trio had severely violated the rules of the academy and were guilty of gross indiscipline. The board diktat that players maintain silence over such matters or face the ordeal of being sorted out at the selection table further ventilated opinion against the players, especially Harbhajan.

"Is baat ko rehne do [Please let this matter be]," requested Bajju -- as Harbhajan is affectionately called by his team-mates -- when asked about the sordid episode.

According to some of the junior players, who were at the academy when the episode occurred, Harbhajan and Murali Kartik had complained about the quality of food that was being served at the academy.

Harbhajan's other sin was that he played a friendly match for Javagal Srinath on a Sunday -- the only day when trainees at the academy are free to do their own thing -- without seeking formal permission from academy head Hanumant Singh.

But ask Bajju about his experience at the academy and he has pleasant things to say, just that we know otherwise.

Today, Bajju stands up to be counted; to be counted as the strike force for Team India, the new slogan this young side has adopted. He has answered his detractors in the way he knows best, by grabbing a bagful of wickets.

Bajju has now claimed three consecutive five-wicket hauls, a feat last accomplished by L Sivaramakrishnan more than 17 years ago. Yet, the unpretentious 18-year-old seems unfazed over all the hype built around him.

"Nothing has changed for me, personally," he insists. "A hat-trick is no big deal; it's a matter of luck, a small gift for working hard. To keep going at the same pace and picking wickets is important for me."

But behind all that humility lies a confidence worth applauding.

"I have always backed myself; always knew that I was good enough. If I could get our batsmen, who are much better players of spin than the Aussies, in domestic games, I was sure I would get them [Aussies] out easily," he adds.

India’s only bowler ever to claim a Test hat-trick has come a long way in a short career dwarfed by allegations of a suspect action, which kept him out of the game for a good period. That was followed by his exclusion from the national team. As the taste turned sour, Harbhajan was served some more. After being dismissed from the NCA, he was playing a match in the Buchi Babu tournament, in Bangalore, when he got a call from his home in Daulatpuri, Jallandhar.

"My father was admitted to hospital for Hepatitis-B. He underwent treatment for four months. It was one of the most mentally disturbing phases of my life," says the precocious tweaker.

His father lost the battle of life and with it the opportunity to watch his son play for India.

"I always remember him," says the baby-faced Sardar, with a trace of sorrow.

"He always wanted to come and see me play for India. Unka sapna pura karna hai ab mujhe (I have to fulfill his dream)."

Ask him about the incidents that marred his promising career and Bajju seems unaffected. Unaffected, yet determined to fight all that stalls his path to success.

"I never thought that there was anything wrong with my action. I was shocked when I heard of it. I wasn't even informed about it; I saw it in the news on television. I felt so scared of the fact that something I saw for myself was being snatched away from me and I couldn't do anything about it.

"I went to England and after a brief stint with Fred Titmus (He spent exactly four hours with him) I came back and claimed six wickets against the West Indies 'A' team. I made the necessary adjustment. I was asked to adjust my head, which fell at the point of delivery."

And then, Bajju loves to talk about his passion; his ability to make the red cherry misbehave with batsmen.

"The camp was indeed one of the best things to have happened to me. Anil bhai nahi the, (Anil Kumble was not there) I got more chances to bowl as the strike bowler," he says with candor.

"Anil bhai helped me a lot during the camp. He would draw a square on the wicket and ask me to concentrate on pitching it there. I worked very hard on my length. Anil bhai then shot me on his camera and explained some finer points to me later in the evening.

“We had a plan for every batsman. I had planned Langer's dismissal in the first innings here (Chennai). I saw that he kept trying to cut me. I knew I would have him caught at first slip or gully, and I got him at slip.

"Likewise, Mark Waugh loves to play the flick off his pads early on, so we planted a leg slip and, as expected, we had him caught by 'Dada' (Ganguly) at leg slip."

Amongst the touring Aussies, Bajju ranks Mark Waugh very high. "He plays very late and that gives him extra time to play the ball.

"Ponting doesn't have a good defence. He just pushes out on the front foot, so I knew I would have him caught at close in, which I did a couple of times.

"Gilchrist is another batsman I wanted to get, after the way he bashed us in Bombay. Even that innings wasn't chanceless; he was dropped twice. I knew I would get him in front and I did. Hayden is the only batsman who worried me. He sweeps everything you bowl at him. He will sweep even the good length balls, so it is very tough to get him.

"The main thing about Aussies is that they don't keep quiet. They just go out to play their strokes and that gives me the maximum chance to get them."

So, what's special about his bowling?

"My novelty is the extra bounce that I can extract from any wicket. I earn a lot of wickets with bat-pad catches. I love trying out my variety, but after meeting John (Wright) I realized the importance of putting the ball in one spot.

"John told me that he believes from his own experience that if you keep pitching the ball in the same spot you work on the mind of the batsman and he tries to do something silly and gifts his wicket to you in the process," Harbhajan confesses.

Talking about Steve Waugh's bizarre dismissal (handled the ball), Bajju exclaims that he didn't even know about it till some players pointed it out to him. The funny part of the episode is that when he had Ponting dismissed of the very next ball, he thought he was on the verge of another hat-trick, unaware of the rule that a 'handled the ball' dismissal isn't credited to the bowler.

"I thought I had a chance of getting another hat-trick, but, I am sure, barring two-three other guys, no one knew the rule," he says, with a defensive look on his face.

At the Indian cricket camp that was recently held in Madras, indeed Bajju was the bowler to watch.

"He has terrific zip off the wicket," said Rahul Dravid. "Easily a class apart from the rest; Harbhajan is going to be our match-winner sooner than later."

"You can never be sure where to play him, on the front foot or back," says S Ramesh.

Interestingly, Bajju's earliest spin idols were Sri Lanka bowlers Ruwan Kalpage, first, and Muthiah Muralitharan later.

"I used to enjoy watching them spin the ball on television. I decided that I would also be a spinner."

Bajju might look pretty unassuming but he has all the fire required and, more importantly, a good head on his shoulders.

"My all-time favourite dismissal is the one of Ponting, the last time they were here in 1998. It was my ninth or tenth over and Ponting kept stepping out to hit me. He hit two fours of me and I knew that he would step out again. Instead of bowling the off-break, I bowled the leg-cutter and had him stumped. I was so confident of getting that wicket even when he was smashing me."

And ask him about his favourite bowlers and pat comes the reply: "Muralitharan."

"He can flight the ball, turn it sharply on any surface. He has a big heart. Saqlain is brilliant because of his 'doosri', which turns after pitching. He has a superb action and a very unconventional grip. He holds the ball across the seam; in one-dayers, when the ball is white, you can't see the rotation of the ball. That's why he is so successful in one-day cricket. He taught me the 'doosri' and told me that I need to practice it a lot. I can bowl it once in a while but Saqlain has amazing control over it and can bowl it at will.

"But in the Indian side, I think Sachin [Tendulkar] is the biggest turner of the ball. Nilesh and I couldn't get any turn at all on the first day [in Madras], but Sachin was making the ball turn like a top. There is no limit to his ability. Bus, hockey nahi khelta (He doesn’t play hockey)," he jokes.

Finished talking about his bowling exploits, he quickly adds that he is a sturdy batsman also.

"I have claimed 29 wickets in 5 matches in the Ranji Trophy this year, but I also scored 206 runs. Whenever I have got a chance to bat I have scored runs," he says.

He has already achieved what every bowler dreams of -- a hat-trick in Test cricket. What else does he wish for?

"I want 300 Test wickets."

Each time Bajju claims a wicket, he looks up to the heavens and thanks God, and his father too. "Papa to dekh rahe honge (My father must be watching), I'm sure," he says, eyeing a tray of jalebis that passes him.

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Mail Cricket Editor