From Rivalry to Brotherhood: Harbhajan Singh Recalls Fiery Encounters with Australian Cricket

As India prepares for the second Test against Australia, former spinner Harbhajan Singh reflected on the intense on-field rivalry between the two cricketing nations. Speaking on Star Sports’ “Time-out,” Harbhajan emphasized that competing against Australia pushed Indian players to elevate their performance. He noted the growing significance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially since India has not lost a series to Australia since 2016.

It was our job. We were playing to win against Australia.

“It was our job. We were playing to win against Australia. You get to know how good of a player you are when you play against a bigger team like Australia, and Australia was a very good team. They were the number one team. If you want to know your capabilities, you have to play against the best. That’s what we did. We tried and stayed determined. Whenever we played against Australia, we had to put in some extra effort because they were a very good team,” Harbhajan stated.

The veteran spinner, who made history as the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001, dismissed cricket legends Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne on consecutive deliveries, solidifying his place in cricket history.

When asked about his off-field relationships with Australian players, Harbhajan remarked, “No, those memories are confined to the ground. Now, I meet Matthew Hayden as if he is my long-lost brother. Because we work in broadcasting, we work for the same production house, we work for Star Sports. So, all those things have mellowed down. Those memories are for the field.”

He further elaborated, “In the IPL, when you start sharing the dressing room, you get to know each other better. So, I understood that just like us, they also work hard for their team. They work hard to make their country win. In that, everything is fair. Like in love and war, everything is fair. So, when you are on the field, everything is right. But things shouldn’t extend beyond the field. Giving each other those fiery looks should be limited to the field only.”

Indian pacer Ishant Sharma also shared his perspective on facing Australia, emphasizing the importance of simplicity in his approach. “Generally, we used to try to do our best. If you play against a team that is dominant in world cricket, you have to put in some extra effort. When I went there for the first time, I didn’t have any idea. I used to just bowl. We didn’t know much back then. I just focused on doing the simple things,” he said.