Harbhajan Singh made an appearance on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel and spoke at length on different topics. The India legend poured his heart out on the podcast.
Harbhajan, who retired in 2021, also picked India’s biggest match winner with the ball. He namedropped Kapil Dev in his response to Ashwin but picked Anil Kumble as India’s biggest match winner with the ball. Harbhajan and Kumble played together for many years. But Kumble had to sit out of the playing XI in ODIs on few occasions.
“I played with Anil bhai long back when we were playing in Chennai for Chemplast. He was my first captain over there. Of course, people say I picked up wickets, and so did you, or even Kapil paaji, but I think Anil Kumble is India’s greatest match-winner and the biggest fighter on the field. He was someone we all used to look up to. He has got a method, ‘This is how it’s done, and ‘I will do it’ kind of attitude,” Harbhajan said on Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
“He will not rely on others to do it. He was also a leader. He would show us the way – how it is done. Whatever little cricket I have played with him and whatever little I have achieved while we were playing together, a lot of credit should go to him for guiding me, giving me the directions to go the right away.”
Kumble is India’s highest wicket-taker in international cricket. He finished his Test career with 619 scalps. The 54-year-old dismissed 337 wickets in 271 ODIs. He captained India to 3 wins in 14 Test matches. He retired in 2008.
Kumble led India in one ODI – which the Men in Blue won. He never played T20I cricket. He captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the final of IPL 2009, where they lost to Deccan Chargers.