Murali is a great bowler: Harbhajan

Team India will be touring Sri Lanka to take part in a tri-series that also involves South Africa. One of the players who are expected to be a key to India's good show in the Emerald Island is Harbhajan Singh. In an exclusive interview to Roma Khanna, he talks about his preparation and the recent controversy about John Wright’s book.

Roma Khanna: Will the Sri Lanka tri-series be a contest between Muralitharan and you?

Harbhajan Singh: Well, it is not between Murali and me. Murali is a great bowler and whatever he has achieved is great. I would love to be where he is today. When I finish my career, I hope that I will be there, if not there then just behind Murali.

The series is India versus Sri Lanka and I am looking it at from that point of view. Obviously it is going to be very challenging to play in Sri Lanka again. They are in great form and playing very good cricket. They have a very good record in Sri Lanka and they are a very different side when they play at home but I am sure that if we play to our potential and with the kind of team that we have, we can put up a good performance.

Roma Khanna: Each and every match now is a lead up to the World Cup. So how are you preparing. Any new arsenal that you have developed like the doosra that you mastered some time back.

Harbhajan Singh: I am not trying anything special in my bowling. I am trying to concentrate on what I know and what made me successful in international cricket. In the last four-five ODI series I have bowled well. I am very happy with the way that my rhythm is going. I would like to continue what I have been doing and keep it simple. I would like to go out and enjoy and give my 100 per cent for the team and let us see what happens.

Roma Khanna: John Wright, in his book Indian Summers, wrote a lot of things. One of them was that selectors have a bias towards players from their zone and try to push them into the team. What do you think about it?

Harbhajan Singh: I haven't read the book. All I have seen is the stories in the newspapers. People are talking lot of things about the book. Let me read the book and then only I can comment.

Roma Khanna: But have players ever abused him. He has also said that in the dressing room some players used to abuse him.

Harbhajan Singh: Well, I don't know. I haven't abused anybody and as I have already said that I have not read the book. Let me read the book to know what is exactly in the book.

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