IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? – After hanging up his playing boots after an illustrious career, Harbhajan Singh is still contemplating his post-retirement plans. While there have been speculations about him joining politics and even getting a ticket in the Punjab Assembly polls, he is not too sure. Instead, the former spinners is more interested in mentoring an IPL team. Follow IPL 2022 Auction Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Ever since he was seen getting clicked with former India cricketer and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, there have been intense speculations that he will join Congress. But Harbhajan Singh dismissed the idea.
IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? Former spinner wants to stay connected with cricket, ‘not sure about politics’
“I will have to sit back and think about what I need to do going forward. I am whatever because of the game. I would love to be around the game. Do something with the game. That is always what is going to be there,” Harbhajan Singh told ANI.
There have been rumours about him joining one of the IPL franchises as a bowling coach. In the IPL 2021, he was with Kolkata Knight Riders but mostly played a mentoring role for the spinners. Now with two new IPL teams in Ahmedabad and Lucknow, Harbhajan Singh could be a great asset as a coach.
“I will be continuing to do something or the other to be connected with the game, mentoring one of the IPL teams or doing commentary or doing something to be connected with the game but whether I am doing politics or not at the moment I don’t know,” said Harbhajan Singh.
IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? Former spinner wants to stay connected with cricket, ‘not sure about politics’
“Maybe once the right time will come then I will decide on that and see whether it is the right way for me to approach going forward. So, I am not sure about the other side of things in politics. So, I will have to take a call on that whether I want to get into that or not but yes I would love to be connected with the game as far as I am concerned I will be seen somewhere mentoring the team or doing commentary or doing something to do with cricket,” he added.
The Jalandhar lad last played an international match in March 2016 against the UAE in Asia Cup and after that could not play for India again. In his 18-year international career, the off-spinner ended up playing 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is for the country scalping 417 wickets in Tests, 294 wickets in limited-overs cricket.
IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? Former spinner wants to stay connected with cricket, ‘not sure about politics’
But after 2016, he was never called up to the national team. With R Ashwin and the emergence of wrist spinners, Harbhajan was not considered. With no international cricket for close to five years, Harbhajan was not too optimistic about representing India again.
“Yes, that feeling has sunk in. I was not really playing international cricket for a long time. Almost five years now. So, in my mind, I thought that I have retired so I have to just take that final call when I have to announce that officially that happened quite late. In the end, I am a retired cricketer. Quite happy, content the way things have gone for me,” said Harbhajan Singh.
The 41-year-old consulted his family members and close ones before taking this big decision and feels that he decided a bit too late.
IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? Former spinner wants to stay connected with cricket, ‘not sure about politics’
“Before taking this decision this was obviously there in my mind for a long period of time. I took this decision. I spoke to my wife, my mother and then obviously to my very close friends from my childhood. After speaking to them they said whatever you feel is the right choice for you, just do it. I felt the time was gone I should have retired in 2016/17. I could not retire,” Harbhajan Singh said.
I decided this time that this is probably the right time for you to say goodbye to the game that has given me everything in life. So, I spoke to my close ones like my wife, my parents before taking this decision. So, I called the BCCI President and also Jay Shah the secretary and told them about my decision,” Singh added.
IPL 2022: Harbhajan Singh to mentor IPL team? Former spinner wants to stay connected with cricket, ‘not sure about politics’
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