Harbhajan silences critics, lashes out at the media

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: February 19, 2010

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Kolkata: After picking up a five-for to help India win the second and final test against South Africa and retain their No. 1 test ranking, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh lashed out at his critics and the media, saying that this win is a fitting reminder to the media, which portrayed him as one of the 3 idiots after his poor performance in the recent games, that the Indian team isn’t the number one team by fluke and that he is still a match winner.

“If I don’t do well you will show me as one of the ‘3 Idiots’. It is a shame and it should not be done. You show Mahendra Singh Dhoni as another of the ‘3 idiots’. That is not right, I know it sounds funny but it is not,” said Harbhajan.

“I have been hearing a lot of things from the media but today they were on the receiving end. They (media) should be getting that kind of treatment because they should know what to play on national television and what not to play,” he added.

Asked about his celebration in front of the press enclosure after clinching the last wicket and completing the win for India, the feisty off-spinner said he was angry at the media for picking on him whenever he had a lean phase.

“Thanks to all the media, they create sensations that Bhajji is not bowling well, that Bhajji is doing this, doing that. We play for our country with a lot of passion and it disappoints all the players sometimes to see what characters they make out of us,” Harbhajan said.

“But if that is the way you want to sell your programmes we are not worried about that. I was there for a bigger purpose, I was playing for my country which was more than anything for me. I won a game for my country and that is a special feeling and I am sure the whole country is happy today,” said Harbhajan who finished with five for 59 to give India a dramatic win.

Bhajji was also not pleased with the section of the media which has been saying that India’s Test number one status was a fluke. “There has been a lot of talk about us that it was a fluke to be the number one side and all that. It was not a fluke at all, we have worked really hard to reach the top and today we have shown the world that we deserve to be number one,” he said.

Harbhajan, however, was all praise for the South Africans for putting up a tough fight in the series. “To be honest, South Africa is a really good side and they played fantastic cricket in Nagpur. We played better cricket here and we set our fields, bowled according to the fields and we created pressure. We batted well, (VVS) Laxman was special, (MS) Dhoni was brilliant, Sachin (Tendulkar) was amazing and so was Viru (Virender Sehwag). I think overall we played terrific cricket and we are very happy,” said the off-spinner.

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