‘I spoke about pitches, I stand by it now,’ Harbhajan takes sly dig at Kohli on Ashwin’s talk show

Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin are two of the greatest off-spinners, let alone from India. While one played against perhaps the toughest modern-day batters, the other is among the top ten highest wicket takers in Tests. Each scaled heights like none could and won accolades in abundance. However, rumours of an unsaid bitterness or jealousy between the two that unfolded during the captaincy transition from MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli made headlines back in the day. Clearing the air on whether there was something like that between them, Harbhajan said he did see Ashwin as a competitor but was never jealous of him.

Ashwin confronted Harbhajan on this talk show ‘Kutti stories with Ash’, asking the two-time World Cup winner if there was a time when Bhajji, as the fans used to call Harbhajan, ever felt jealousy against Ashwin during their playing days.

Answering every question thrown at him, Harbhajan first praised Ashwin for the legacy that he left behind, ending his career as the Indian with second most wickets to his name in Tests (after Anil Kumble), and secondly took a sly dig at the pitches prepared post Harbhajan-era (during Dhoni and Kohli’s captaincy), which he called rank-turners that supported spin bowling throughout.

“I just want to make one point very clear. When you came into the side, it immediately struck me that this could be the guy who will be playing for a long time,” admitted Harbhajan on Ashwin’s talk show. “I saw you as my competition. I was a senior who had picked up 400 wickets, and it did cross my mind. I thought I would have to step up my game.

“But I feel everything happens for a reason. I played this game; I also replaced someone (Rajesh Chauhan). A place in the Indian cricket team is not permanent,” he said.

Harbhajan criticises pitches during Kohli’s captaincy

It’s not a secret that India prepared rank turners at home during Virat Kohli’s captaincy tenure, which aided spin big time, with both Ashwin and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja getting significant purchases, adding to their wickets tally.

Speaking on the same, Harbhajan, who was among the first to criticise such pitches, where the games used to end inside three days mostly, stood firm, saying, ‘I spoke about pitches. I stand by it even now. There was so much help from the wickets. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, but I feel that the pitches we played on were different. It was evident — games were getting over in three or four days.

“But again, you have to bowl well to take wickets. I have bowled on rank turners where I failed to take a single wicket. “I wasn’t criticising pitches because Ashwin was taking wickets. My problem was with the kind of wickets that were getting prepared,” he added.

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