Click to play videoNishant Arora: Harbhajan Singh has played a decade of international cricket with highs and lows. He is a role model for all small-town players and was one of the first players who came from the small town. Now you see likes of Dhoni, RP Singh and Suresh Raina coming from small towns.
This place (Jalandhar) holds a special feeling for you. Doesn't it?
Harbhajan Singh: Yes. This is where I have started playing my cricket from and this is a very special place for me. And it is great to be back in Jalandhar.
Nishant Arora: So what are the special memories you hold of this place?
Harbhajan Singh: I used to practice here and I have lots of special memories here. Whatever I am is because of this ground. I have played a lot of cricket here and I have done my hard work here. And that hard work is paying. So I am very happy to be back here and talking to all you guys.
Nishant Arora: It is never easy to beat the world champions at (their) home. It involves a lot of hard work. So how satisfying was it for the team to go there and beat them?
Harbhajan Singh: Obviously, it is very special to beat Australia in Australia. They have been dominating all the sides of the world. It was great teamwork and we played some tough cricket over there and the kind of result we got was fantastic.
Nishant Arora: It must have been a memorable tour for you. it was not the ideal tour the way things went for you off the field. How tough for you was it to handle all these things?
Harbhajan Singh: It was tough, all the three months, but I would like to thank all my supporters who supported me all the way for the three months. There were a lot of things going on. I won't mention it as I said it is the past. I just would like to thank all the people who have helped me in that situation and what I was going through. A big thanks to my team who stood by me and a very big thanks to the board and each and every Indian who supported me during that time. It shows that I am not alone, I have a lot of people with me to fight and I just have to concentrate on my game and that's what I plan to do and bowl the best way I could and got those special wickets and won the series for India.
Nishant Arora: There is a perception that it is very easy to provoke Harbhajan Singh. Is it something, which is true, or is it just a media perception, or something from the public who only get to see one side of the coin?
Harbhajan Singh: When you are playing for your country, you normally don't go out there to make friends. That's the way I am when I'm playing for my country. I just want to give the best shot for my team. For me, playing for India means a lot. People may think I'm arrogant or whatever, but when I'm playing for my country, I will fight every single ball and fight till the end for my country. Apart from that, I'm a very jolly person, I like to go around with my friends, joke around with them and easy-going. Whatever people think doesn't matter to me, but all that matters to me is that my family knows what sort of a person I am, and so do my friends. It's good to be a fighter, and I'm happy about that.
Nishant Arora: During the entire tour in Australia, we saw the crowd booing you, the Australian media which was particularly very harsh on you. Everyday one would open the paper; there was Harbhajan Singh's picture along with some news article. How was it to carry that image? Was it really tough for you?
Harbhajan Singh: Well, yes. It was nice to see my pictures all over the papers (laughs). I was taking it in a positive way. I suddenly became the Michael Jackson of Australia, for sure, because the papers had my picture on the front page, the last page as well as in the middle. Anyway, I was not reading much about whatever they had written about me. I just wanted to forget whatever happened there. I'm pleased and relaxed now, and very happy with the way things have turned out and the way we played our cricket. It was a special tournament for us.
This victory means a lot to us and the way we played. Like we play South Africa now and we will keep on playing the way we have been playing. We have a great chance to become the number one side in the world and these young guys have all the capabilities to become number one team in the world.
Nishant Arora: Will you say the nucleus of this side was built during the Twenty20 World Cup when no one expected the side to do so well. And this bunch of new guys won the World Cup for India. Was it there that the belief came that these young guys can take Indian cricket forward?
Harbhajan Singh: Obviously T20 was a big tournament and nobody thought that we can beat teams like Australia and South Africa. They play a lot of Twenty20 tournaments in their country but we hardly play the T20 tournament. So, going there and winning the tournament was very special and the kind of effort the guys have put in the filed was amazing; the way they were diving for the ball and stopping the ball. And when they went to bat, you could see there was a spark in their eyes and they want to do well. It was great to see the youngsters chipping in with big performances and I think it was a great sign and we have a great future for Indian cricket. And if they keep on playing the way they have been then we have a great chance to be the number one team in the world. And I'm sure we can do that.
Nishant Arora: I have two special guests and they are here because they love the way Harbhajan has played his cricket. And they are stars in their own rights and require no introduction and I would like to call on stage Kapil Sharma, the winner of the Great
Indian laughter challenge winner. We all know how Shamsher Singh is and Gurpreet Koogi, he is a star in his own right, he has made the entire Punjab laugh. They are very special friends of Harbhajan. In fact, Gurpreet paaji has stood by him through thick and thin.
Kapil Sharma: First of all I will like to congratulate Bhajji's family and the entire Punjab because he is our pride. I am very happy to see him in front of all of us as I have seen him on television most of the time, he really is busy. It's nice to see him clean up the batsmen and it is great he is being honoured here. It is great to have Harbhajan here as everybody knows him and he is our pride. I canot play cricket though my name is Kapil. So I can only appreciate.
India has not beaten Australia because they are a poor side. It is because we were great and we should be proud of our team and a part of the credit goes to Bhajji.
Nishant Arora: I think this is the time I will like to call Harbhajan's family and his sisters on stage. This family has seen a lot of good times and bad times together. One cannot forget when Harbhajan lost his father, his entire family stood behind him and he had the responsibility of running this house. Brother of five sisters, that person cannot be arrogant.
We have Harbhajan's mother, don't you think you should get Harbhajan married now?
Harbhajan's mother: When we find a nice girl, we will get him married.
Nishant Arora: How is he as a brother. Is he a hot headed brother?
Harbhajan's sister: No, he is great the way he is. When one needs a friend, he is there. When you need a brother he is there. He is really jolly and we have a lot of fun when we all are together.
Nishant Arora: Harbhajan, how tough is it for you to stay away from home when you know the burden of the entire family is on you?
Harbhajan Singh: It is little tough to keep on touring abroad and keep staying away from my mom and my sisters. But I will like to say thanks to Sidhu and Ricky and lots of other guys who look after my mom like their own mom. They are more like my family and not just friends. Thanks Sidhu and everybody and specially my brother-in-law who is always there to look after the family and it is just great to have people like them.
Nishant Arora: Thanks, Harbhajan. We have seen the other side of Harbhajan, the emotional side of Harbhajan, the brother Harbhajan who has a lot of time for his family, the son Harbhajan who understands the value of his culture, his religion and how he has to handle his family.
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