Perseverance Pays Off For Resolute Sardar

A greenhorn, Harbhajan has seen crests and troughs in his career to matchthat of a veteran's. From impressing skipper Anil Kumble in a club match atChennai as a 17-year-old, his elevation to the national side in 1998 as arelatively unknown 18-year-old, being sidelined for "chucking", expulsionfrom the National Cricket Academy for indiscipline, to being the firstIndian to claim a hattrick in Test cricket, Harbhajan has been throughheady moments and disappointments.

But the setbacks only brought forth the fighter in the sardar and steeledthe lanky offspinner's resolve as he battled his way into the nationalsquad for the Australian tour - a side against whom he made his debutduring the 1997-98 season.

When Harbhajan, barely into his early teens, began hitting the singlestump regularly under the watchful eyes of coach Devender Arora inJalandhar, few could have visualised the whirlwind chain of events thatwere to unfold in the cricketer's still nascent career. During aDelhi-Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy match in late 1997 in Chennai, a localreporter in a chat with a scribe from New Delhi said "You guys have akiller in your backyard. He has a deadly loop." Met with a blank look, thereporter named Harbhajan, the lad having run amok when Punjab took on TN.Barring the odd reference, Harbhajan was just another faceless name tryingto make a mark at the national level.

His selection for the 1998 home series against the Australians raisedeyebrows. His performance in the Bangalore Test (the scalps of DarrenLehmann and Damien Martyn) smothered talk of his selection, for whateverreasons, and placed him as a promising prospect. For Harbhajan success hadcome easily when compared to players, and more talented ones at that, someof whom spent their entire career waiting to don the India cap. From thesimple surroundings of Jalandhar to the glitz and glamour of five starhotels, overseas tour, reporters hounding for interviews and fans cravingfor interviews, Harbhajan was transported into a new world. And thechange struck a chord within the impressionable lad.

This bore testimony in the verbal spat with Ricky Ponting whichresulted in a one-match suspension. After that it was a free fall. Hisarrogance (read "aggression") had Harbhajan lose friends rapidly and theplayer himself struggling to live up to expectations. But somewhere deepdown he still managed to retain his old self. Or how would one explain theact of walking into the premises of a national daily to thank the reporterfor a "favourable" piece. After a few words and a firm handshake, "Bhajju"strode out, watched by the open-mouthed staff, and moved off in a waitingautorickshaw. It was the absence of guidance which had the youngstermeddling up his priorities.

Close on the heels of the Sharjah incident came the shattering blow ofHarbhajan being reported for chucking. Several cricketing pundits wrote offHarbhajan for dead. True he had to miss out on on-field action but thePunjab offspinner made most of the corrective stint with former Englandspinner Fred Titmus. It was a matter of time before Harbhajan was againattracting the attention of the selectors, this time not only as aoffspinner but also as a useful lower order bat.

But attitude continued to cause him problems - the expulsion from theNational Cricket Academy in July last on grounds of indiscipline - boretestimony to this. The death of his father, Sardev Singh, a month latersaddled him with the additional responsibility of taking care of his motherand two unmarried sisters. Taking it as a "signal from the Almighty" tochange, Harbhajan took it in his stride and strove on in pursuance of his"sole ambition" - playing for India. Employed with the Indian Airlines, hetravelled from Jalandhar to Amritsar and returned for training sessionsunder Devender Arora. It is this never-say-die spirit that has seenHarbhajan through the dark days. Times when barring his unflinching faithin God and the support of a handful of well wishers he had little to fallback on.

Notwithstanding the flip side to Harbhajan's fledgling career, he is atalent who needs to be nurtured and persisted with. Legendary spinnerE.A.S. Prasanna remarked: "I was proud of his hattrick." Mother AvtarKaur's instincts also say so. "I know little about the game, but I alwayshad hope that my son will do something great in the game," she said. Isthe BCCI listening?