I tried to ask Dhoni why, but wasn't given a reason. Realised there is no point asking: Harbhajan opens up on India snub

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has opened up on the disappointment of being left out of the Indian team 'without being given' a reason.

Updated on: Dec 31, 2021, 13:18:26 IST

By hindustantimes.com

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Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has opened up on the disappointment of being left out of the Indian team ‘without being given’ a reason. A veteran of 103 Tests, Harbhajan finished with 417 wickets, his last match being against Sri Lanka in Galle of 2015. Harbhajan says he could have ended with 100 more wickets for India in Tests, had he continued playing and is still looking for an explanation being getting dropped.

"I was 31 when I picked up my 400th Test wicket, and if a 31-year-old can pick up 400 wickets, then in the next eight-nine years, I feel I could have taken at least a hundred more. But after that, I didn't get to play matches, neither was I selected. How can someone with 400 wickets be discarded is a mysterious story in itself, which hasn't been unravelled yet. I still wonder, 'What really happened? Who had a problem with me staying in the team?'," Harbhajan said on India TV.

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Harbhajan played a handful of matches for India after his final Test. His last game for India came back in March of 2016 against the UAE in the T20I Asia Cup, where he picked up 1 for 11 from four overs. Upon being asked if he went up to the then-captain of the Indian team, which was MS Dhoni, Harbhajan said he did but was not given any response.

"I tried to ask the captain [Dhoni] why, but I wasn't given a reason. I realized there is no point in me asking for the reason for this treatment, and who is behind it because if you keep asking and no one replies, then it’s better to leave it," added the former India off-spinner.

Harbhajan continued to play in the IPL, representing the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and most recently Kolkata Knight Riders, before announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier this month.

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