Harbhajan The Hero As India Draw After NZ Inflict Damage

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

   Adversity defines new heroes. The same can be said of Harbhajan Singh who towered over the hype that surrounded Sachin Tendulkar by the time the first Test of the India New Zealand series drew to a close at Motera, Ahmedabad.

     The game rarely gives a chance for players to make immediate amends. If one thing Harbhajan Singh regretted after the first innings, it was in the fact that he did not convert his sixty-nine runs into a maiden Test century. But he did not have to wait long. Not only did the opportunity present itself but also, gave the man the chance to become a hero on the day. Harbhajan Singh did not let the big match situation pass him by.

       India were perhaps a tad complacent after the series against Australia because there was no other explanation for the manner in which New Zealand were allowed to come back into the match after being two down for twenty-seven against India’s first innings total of 487 built on the back of Virender Sehwag’s 173 and the twenty-nine Test centuries Sir Don Bradman record breaking thirtieth century for Rahul Dravid.

      But the counterattack did come from the Black Caps in the form of a young man on debut, twenty year old Kane Williamson, and New Zealand’s dark horse, Jesse Ryder. Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor did play their parts as well but with two defiant centuries, New Zealand were back in the hunt and just like that, the wounds from that 4-0 defeat to Bangladesh in the ODI series was beginning to wear down.

       New Zealand would have thought that ‘fortune favours the brave’ was coming true in their case when sleepy India were caught off guard by thirty-six comeback man, Chris Martin. In a spell binding, well, spell, Martin had India eating out of his hand. What did not help the downward spiral was the unfortunate run out of Sehwag as Dravid’s guilt appeared to give New Zealand another immediate wicket. Martin picked up five wickets in the second innings alone, leaving V.V.S. Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a long axe to grind.

     But cometh the man, cometh the hour. (Yes, you read right and it has been written the other way round. Here’s the reason why.) Harbhajan Singh needed something spectacular going for him. Much has been written and said about the Indian off spinner and that he had gone off colour with the ball under pressure since the retirement of Anil Kumble. But when Harbhajan Singh came to the crease, in walked a man who had fought in the match before, in the first innings, and was determined to continue batting on as if that were on his main agenda.

       With Laxman, Harbhajan, a Sachin Tendulkar student, found the perfect substitute teacher. Harbhajan himself credited Laxman for keeping his focus on the larger goal and prevent him from throwing it all too early. The patience, and curbing his exuberance paid off and the dream was realized.

        But Harbhajan Singh had achieved more than vindicate those that believed he had the ability to do more with the bat. He had won the day for India, by not only occupying the crease but tilting the odds in India’s favour, ultimately redeeming the team as the world’s no.1 Test team for digging themselves successfully out of a deep hole ( and deep it was at the end of the fourth day’s play) against the world’s second last ranked Test team.

 ©Sreelata S. Yellamrazu for  ©mindspacecricket.com