Harbhajan Singh after bagging his 300th wicket in Nagpur on Friday

Friday saw Harbhajan Singh becoming the third Indian (22nd overall) to take 300 Test wickets. In the evening, on returning to the team hotel, the offie spoke to The Telegraph:

The following are excerpts

“I felt relieved on getting the 300th wicket... I’d been anxious to reach the milestone, which I’d just missed in Mohali (second Test)... I’d fallen one short and had to skip the next Test (Delhi) owing to a toe injury...

“All my achievements have been dedicated to my late father (Sardar Sardev Singh) and it’s no different this time, except that I’d like to add my nana (Pyara Singh), who passed away recently...

“That I again got Ricky Ponting has been a cause for much satisfaction... He has been talking a lot and, by getting him 10 times (overall), I’ve shown who is the boss... He shouldn’t be talking so much...

“This is an emotional Test... One legend (Anil Kumble) has retired and another (Sourav Ganguly) is retiring... The team won’t be the same...

“I’ve been overwhelmed by what Anilbhai said at last (Thursday) evening’s felicitation by the Board... He has the confidence that I’ll one day become India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests...

“Anilbhai’s comments are going to inspire me and I hope to live up to his expectations... Even if I don’t get past him (Kumble’s tally is 619), I’ll be happy to finish my career with 500-550 wickets... I’ll be working even harder...”

300 wicket club

Harbhajan Singh on Friday became the 22nd cricketer and the third Indian to scalp 300 or more wickets in Test cricket. The following is the list:

M. Muralidharan (SL) — 756 wickets
S. Warne (Aus) — 708
A. Kumble (Ind) — 619
G. McGrath (Aus) — 563
C. Walsh (WI) — 519
K. Dev (Ind) — 434
R. Hadlee (NZ) — 431
S. Pollock (SA) — 421
W. Akram (Pak) — 414
C. Ambrose (WI) — 405
I. Botham (Eng) — 383
M. Marshall (WI) — 376
W. Younis (Pak) — 373
I. Khan (Pak) — 362
M. Ntini (SA) — 358
D. Lillee (Aus) — 355
C. Vaas (SL) — 348
A. Donald (SA) — 330
R. Willis (Eng) — 325
L. Gibbs (WI) — 309
F. Trueman (Eng) — 307
H. Singh (Ind) — 300