Sourav Ganguly was the reason I played 100 Tests: Harbhajan credits BCCI boss for his success

Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday revealed how his skipper and current BCCI boss Sourav Ganguly helped grow into a fearless bowler.

Harbhajan Singh also said that Sourav Ganguly has had the most impact on his career and he was the reason behind off-spinner’s success as a bowler.

“For me, Sourav Ganguly’s role was huge. I was once at a stage in life where I didn’t know who was with me and who was not. Because people on my face were saying that they are with me, but many of them were not with me at the time. But at the time, Ganguly backed me when I had zero backing,” Harbhajan said in a chat with former India cricketer Aakasha Chopra on his Youtube show ‘Aakash Vani’.

Harbhajan Singh, who has played under several captains, named the BCCI President as the captain who backed him the most in difficult times.

“The selectors were against me, they told me a lot of things on my face which I cannot disclose. No amount of praise I could give Ganguly, would be sufficient. If he was not the captain at the time, I don’t know if any other captain could have backed me as much,” Harbhajan said.

“If any player has pushed my career the most, it is Sourav Ganguly. If he was not there, I would not have been able to play 100 Tests,” Harbhajan added.

“Sourav was always there for the bowlers. He would give you the freedom to bowl and he would give you all the things you need as a bowler to build your confidence,” he said.

“If you want 4-5 fielders in front to take catches, he would let you place them. Sometimes, we would ask ourselves if we should push back a fielder, but he would say, ‘no, let him be in front. If we put him in front, we would create chances. If he hits boundaries, let him hit boundaries. We are looking to get him out’. You need captains who would back you. This was his best quality,” Harbhajan said.