Well, talking of Harbhajan Singh’s feat, I think it’s a creditable performance. It’s not an easy to get 400 wickets at the highest level and the only other off-spinner to get there was Muttiah Muralitharan.

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What makes it even more special is the circumstances under which he has managed to reach this milestone. All of us know that Harbhajan faced many hurdles during his career, the biggest being the questions raised over his action early on in his career. But he handled the pressure with great maturity and that is where, I think, his journey towards the top started.

It is very easy for a young bowler to break down under such circumstances, but Harbhajan showed a strong character as he not only overcame such hurdles, but also continued to perform excellently in the international arena. This speaks volumes of his temperament and hunger to succeed.

Harbhajan has been a big match bowler, especially against teams like Australia. The fact that he was able to make the Australian batsmen dance to his tunes at a time when they were dominating world cricket, really made him a great asset for Team India.

When Anil Kumble retired, Harbhajan had a great responsibility on his shoulders to lead the Indian spin attack and I think he hasn’t disappointed even a single bit. He has led from the front in Kumble’s absence and didn’t allow the spin department go haywire at that critical juncture.

Harbhajan has always let his bowling do all the talking and been able to silence his critics time and again in the past. I think that this is what a cricketer should do,that is let his game do the talking.

And now, with him entering the 400 wickets club, I think that what he has done over the years is really commendable and he deserves to be in that elite club.

—As told to Angshuman Deb Barma