New T20 look: Tricolour on the heart for Team India

New T20 look: Tricolour on the heart for Team India

                                                                                                                                                    Cricket +

An Indian cricketer will now not wear his heart on his sleeve. Rather, if he pulls on a Twenty20 India shirt, it will be tricolour that paints a swathe across the left half of his jersey. On Thursday, August 16, Nike, who are the Board of Control for Cricket in India's kit sponsor, unveiled the Indian team's first specialist T20 jersey.
 
Just as whites are indisputably linked to Test cricket, and blue to the 50-over game, the Indian team now has a shirt specifically for the T20 format. "Once I wear the national jersey, I automatically know that I have to give my best," said Virender Sehwag. "Having the national flag's colours close to the heart is a good idea. After all, someone like me, who plays from the heart, will only feel better for it."

The critical difference, apart from the visual, in this jersey, which is made from the equivalent of eight P. E. T bottles, is that it's 45% lighter than the kit the Indian team has been wearing thus far. "We're going to be playing T20s at home, in South India, and in Sri Lanka, where even when you bat 15-20 minutes and hit a couple of boundaries you break into a sweat. Any help we can get is welcome," said Sehwag.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was welcoming of the new shirt. "It's a very good start. Even when people are swapping between channels on television they see white and know that it's Test cricket," he said. "Now there will be a strong association between this jersey and T20 cricket."

Dhoni also said that he was aware that expectations would reach typically high levels as India begin a packed season and that includes the ICC World T20. "We've had nearly a month and a half off and even when we played in Sri Lanka recently we have enough gaps between matches," said Dhoni. "The time off has given us a chance to be mentally and physically fit. If you look ahead at the packed schedule you will feel there is a lot of cricket ahead. The better thing is to take it a bit more short term and look at what you need to do in the next 15 days."

The biggest applause of the day was reserved for Yuvraj Singh, who will make his comeback to the Indian team in the first T20I against New Zealand at Vishakhapatnam on September 8. "I am feeling a bit nervous. I've been working really hard at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for the last couple of months," said Yuvraj. "But I haven't played for India in a year. In some ways it will feel like I'm playing for India for the first time."

Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Virat Kohli were the others who showed off the new jersey, and Yuvraj showed that he had recovered sufficiently from his illness to get up to his old tricks. "Virat has been in great form in the recent past," quipped Yuvraj. "I hope he can continue that both on and off the field."

While some questions have been asked about Yuvraj returning to international duty before getting some rigorous match practice under the belt, it was obvious that his team-mates were just overjoyed to have him back. "Yuvi is a very important character to have around, not just an important player," said Dhoni. "Without him the dressing-room is a bit boring, even though Virat was trying his best to keep things light and ensure that the newcomers settled in quickly. Now we'll have a healthy competition between Virat and Yuvi, to see who is the best at ragging, and that can only be a good thing."

While some questions have been asked about Yuvraj returning to international duty before getting some rigorous match practice under the belt, it was obvious that his team-mates were just overjoyed to have him back. "Yuvi is a very important character to have around, not just an important player," said Dhoni. "Without him the dressing-room is a bit boring, even though Virat was trying his best to keep things light and ensure that the newcomers settled in quickly. Now we'll have a healthy competition between Virat and Yuvi, to see who is the best at ragging, and that can only be a good thing."

England's Pietersen dilemma

Dravid wants 'give-and-take' between IPL and Tests

Cricket +

	Rahul Dravid on Kevin Pietersen: "The game is a loser when the top players don't play Test cricket." © Getty Images  Enlarge

Rahul Dravid, the former India batsman, has said that creating a window for the Indian Premier League would not only let the world's best players participate in the lucrative domestic Twenty20 tournament but, importantly, also allow them to play Test cricket, thereby enlivening the longer format.

"The reality is the IPL is an important tournament and people do want to play it," Dravid said on BBC's Test Match Special at Lord's during the third Test between England and South Africa. "And we are probably coming to a stage where maybe a time will come [when] there will need to be give-and-take - whether it is finding a window, or, whether making the tournament a little shorter."

Dravid was asked by the TMS host Jonathan Agnew whether the IPL, a tournament that lasts for close to two months, had played a big role in Kevin Pietersenfalling out with the ECB and losing support from his teammates, which led to him missing the Lord's Test. Dravid, who is in London to attend the MCC cricket committee meetings, was not sure if the IPL was the reason for the Pietersen debacle. He said a solution was necessary considering the IPL would continue to clash with the start of the England cricketing summer and Test cricket could not afford losing big names such as Pietersen and Chris Gayle.

Pietersen had stirred a controversy in April when he said England were jealous of the IPL. A month later, he retired from limited-overs cricket, saying he wanted to focus only on Tests. That decision came on the heels of exhaustive discussions with the ECB, where Pietersen said he wanted to play only Test and Twenty20 cricket. But the ECB central contracts state that any player who makes himself unavailable for either format of limited-overs cricket is automatically ruled out of selection for both ODIs and T20s.

"There are some positives with the IPL and you have to understand that if the top players in the world want to play it and people want to watch then there is got to be some thing good about it is as well," Dravid said. "It does effect the England season particularly, and, especially since traditionally the English season has been the same for many, many years. So it is challenging that a little bit.

"In time we are getting to that stage where all of us want the best players playing [Test cricket]. We all want Chris Gayle playing for West Indies whenever West Indies play a Test match. None of us want to see a situation today where a great player like Kevin misses out today for whatever reasons and I don't want to get into that. But it is disappointing. The game is a loser when the top players don't play Test cricket."

Dravid, who led Rajasthan Royals in the previous IPL, felt that for Test cricket to continue attracting fans and remain marketable, it was important that the best players were always available for selection. Leaving out the likes of Gayle and Pietersen, Dravid felt, would only drive the fans away.

"I am not sure what the solution to it is exactly but I would love to be in a situation where the best players can play the IPL as well as represent their country in Test cricket. People like Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen are fantastic for Test cricket as they are for IPL and T20 cricket. And they have a short window in which to show us their talent. At the end of the day this is the game for the fans. The best players should represent their country - it is not only about the people who come to the ground. It is also for the young boys and girls who passionately follow their country in Test cricket. It is hard and disappointing when the best players don't turn up to play for their country."

ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2012 SCHEDULE

Date and Time	Match Details and Series
Tue Sep 18  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group C : 1st T20 - Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe  Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota
Wed Sep 19  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Group B : 2nd T20 - Australia vs Ireland  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Wed Sep 19  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group A : 3rd T20 - India vs Afghanistan  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thu Sep 20  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group C : 4th T20 - South Africa vs Zimbabwe  Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota
Fri Sep 21  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Group D : 5th T20 - New Zealand vs Bangladesh  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Fri Sep 21  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group A : 6th T20 - England vs Afghanistan  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sat Sep 22  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Group C : 7th T20 - Sri Lanka vs South Africa  Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota
Sat Sep 22  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group B : 8th T20 - Australia vs West Indies  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Sep 23  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Group D : 9th T20 - New Zealand vs Pakistan  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sun Sep 23  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group A : 10th T20 - England vs India  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Mon Sep 24  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group B : 11th T20 - West Indies vs Ireland  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Tue Sep 25  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Group D : 12th T20 - Bangladesh vs Pakistan  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Thu Sep 27  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 13th T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Thu Sep 27  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 14th T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Fri Sep 28  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 15th T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Fri Sep 28  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 16th T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sat Sep 29  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 17th T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sat Sep 29  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 18th T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sun Sep 30  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 19th T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Sep 30  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 20th T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Mon Oct 1  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 21st T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Mon Oct 1  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 1 : 22nd T20 - TBC vs TBC  Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Tue Oct 2  15:30 local | 10:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 23rd T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Tue Oct 2  19:30 local | 14:00 GMT	Super Eights, Group 2 : 24th T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thu Oct 4  19:00 local | 13:30 GMT	1st Semi Final T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Fri Oct 5  19:00 local | 13:30 GMT	2nd Semi Final T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Oct 7  19:00 local | 13:30 GMT	Final T20 - TBC vs TBC  R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

India's selection for Tests and World T20

Selections pose more questions than answers

While fans anticipated some response to 0-8, the selectors gave it all a farcical turn with strange picks for reserves

Cricket + 

	Guess who's back: Despite an average of 40 in Ranji Trophy, Piyush Chawla finds himself back in Test and T20 squads © Associated Press  Enlarge

The sight of Kris Srikkanth, the outgoing chairman of selectors, rattling off incoherent sentences and either not respecting or not taking questions around the logic of selections is all too common. On Friday afternoon, he said he was doing so for the last time as his term comes to an end, and for one last time he left a bizarre selection unexplained. Before the meeting, the fans were all interested in seeing how the selectors respond to the eight straight overseas Test defeats and whether they look to late 2013 and 2014 when India tour South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia, but the Indian selectors gave it all a farcical turn with strange picks for the reserves.

There were legitimate questions and anticipation in the fan's mind. Will the selectors deem Virender Sehwag good enough to open on the four away tours come late 2013 (his average on his last four tours to those countries is 24, 28, 10 and 26 respectively) and risk a new opener in those conditions should he fail? Or will they try him in the middle order now that there are going to be vacancies? Is VVS Laxman going to make it to 2014? If not, how long will he be picked? Laxman has had only one really miserable series and merits a place in the side, especially with Rahul Dravid just retired, but will the selectors give out any pointers to the future? Does Zaheer Khan look good to go on till those away tours?

And yet, the team sheets rolled out were such that you forgot all those big questions and started to try and get your head around other selections. And no, Yuvraj Singh's comeback is not the inexplicable one. On surface it might seem like an emotional move, considering he has not proved match fitness yet, but this is also a calculated risk. Before the World Twenty20, there are two T20s against New Zealand, and before that there is the Buchi Babu tournament. So if things don't go to plan, Yuvraj can be replaced for the big one, but if he is fit there is no need to restate the kind of matchwinner he can be on the big day.

It's the other picks that leave you flummoxed. What, for example, has Piyush Chawla done to earn both a Test and T20 recall? Is there any phantom tournament you have missed and only the selectors have watched? An average of 40 in the last Ranji Trophy, and an average of 26 and economy-rate of 7.35 in the last IPL, didn't exactly dare the selectors to not pick him. He wasn't even considered good enough for India A's last tour.

It's interesting to look at the two spinners who have been pushed out because of Chawla's return. It seems there is more than cricket to the sudden exclusion of Rahul Sharma from both the Test and T20 side. Last checked his bounce and accuracy had everybody impressed. Now he is nowhere to be seen. If this is disciplinary action for the alleged positive dope test at a party, the BCCI will be better off to say so.

And what of Pragyan Ojha then? He can take the ball away from the right-hand batsmen too, he has been more impressive in IPL, he has done well in home Tests, his stats after limited opportunities in limited-overs internationals are not bad (economy rates of 4.46 and 6.28 in ODIs and T20Is), but for some reason in the game of musical chairs being played among the Indian spinners, Ojha is often the man standing up when the music stops.

It is true that selection is not based on stats alone, but India have already burnt their fingers with a similar punt on Chawla in the last year's 50-over World Cup. A much more understandable yet surprising punt isHarbhajan Singh, who brings with him experience, proven combative qualities and decent containment role during the Twenty20 leagues. And while we are at it, if Rahul is indeed being disciplined and if you were told there were only two Test spinners left in India - Chawla and Harbhajan - who'd you rather go with? A similarly understandable gamble is L Balaji, who went for 5.4 an over in the IPL, but Praveen Kumar's absence continues to confound.

The last time Chawla was picked for India, Rohit Sharma was primed for a place in the World Cup squad and had to make way. Rohit doesn't lose out on his World Cup place this time, but he has been denied the Test bench he warmed with such frustration in Australia, coming desperately close to a debut. Granted he has failed in ODIs in Sri Lanka, but how does it earn him a T20 reward and cost him a Test place? Suresh Raina, on the other hand, has played his role in late middle order in ODIs commendably, but has he done enough since he was dropped from Tests last year to allay the concerns against Raina the Test batsman?

Ishant Sharma, who bucked the trend of picking IPL over internationals and underwent ankle surgery, has yet to prove his match fitness but is back in the Test squad. Unlike Yuvraj, Ishant will hardly get any opportunity to do so before the first Test begins on August 23. This is a selection coming from a committee that had vowed to make proven fitness a non-negotiable after the debacle in England last year.

And guess who is back as vice-captain of the T20 side? Gautam Gambhir, who lost that slot for unexplained reasons after Australia, has now somehow usurped Virat Kohli, who was the vice-captain until the recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka. The Test side continues to be without one.

Srikkanth, though, as the chairman and the public face of the selection committee, doesn't have the time to throw more light on these selections. "I'm in a rush," he says. The BCCI could just as well not announce the team, and let people find out on the day of the match.

India news

'It is like being selected for the first time' - Yuvraj

Cricket +

	"I had told myself that I would come back one day," Yuvraj Singh said © AFP  Enlarge

Yuvraj Singh compared his return to cricket after being picked for the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand and the World Twenty20 "like being selected for India for the first time."

The selection is expected to mark Yuvraj's return to the Indian team for the first time in just under 12 months during which he was diagnosed with a rare germ-cell cancer called mediastinal seminoma. After undergoing chemotherapy in the USA for close to two months, Yuvraj has been training in the NCA for the last six weeks with the aim of getting back into the Indian team.

On being told that he had cancer Yuvraj said he had told himself, "that one day I would come back and play for India again. I was determined to do that. However much I had to go through with the cancer, I kept the faith because I wanted to step on the field again one day. Today I've got the news that I am going to be stepping on the field again. I am ecstatic. I can't wait to step on the field and wave the Indian flag!"

He said that while the fitness and recovery reports from the NCA had been encouraging enough for him to expect being selected again, "Everyone was talking about whether I should be picked or not, so I wasn't sure. I heard the [selection] news on the TV. It is as if I was being picked for India again - that same feeling that I can't explain."

While he said he had not been in touch with the selectors while training at the NCA for the last six weeks, he said the fitness reports would have indicated to the selectors that he had made enough progress. The BCCI had been, "very supportive," he said, of his recovery programme and that the selectors had showed, "immense confidence in me. I want to thank a lot of people, friends, colleagues, doctors, physios and trainers for this day."

His return to training over the last two months was preceded by a light two-week training programme, "to get into that training mode." It was the first three weeks of actual training at the NCA, Yuvraj said, which "were the toughest because the body was not used to the pain you get from training." But he said that he began to get more used to the regimen, "and after six weeks of training, I think I am now in good shape." He said, "I have another month or so to go for the World T20 so this month is going to be very crucial for me getting ready." It was expected that Yuvraj would play a few games in the Buchi Babu invitational tournament before the two T20 games against New Zealand. However, it is now learnt that an attempt is being made to ensure that Yuvraj gets some match practice with the white ball which may take place at NCA.

Yuvraj's target for his return to international cricket were the two T20s versus New Zealand to be played in Visakhapatnam on September 8 and Chennai on September 11. About his plans on making a comeback to the ODI and the Test teams, he said, "ODIs and Tests are tougher on the body, but T20 is the place to start. I hope to get stronger for longer formats with time."

India news

Yuvraj named in T20 squad, Rohit dropped from Test team

Cricket +

	Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were named in the T20 squad © AFP  Enlarge

India batsman Yuvraj Singh has been named in India's T20 squad for the home series against New Zealand and the ICC World Twenty20 next month in Sri Lanka, marking a return to cricket after battling with cancer. VVS Laxman, Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Piyush Chawla and Ajinkya Rahane have been included for the home Tests against New Zealand later this month. Rohit Sharma has been left out of the Test squad after a lean period with the bat.

Yuvraj, who last played for India during the home Tests against West Indies, was passed fit when the selection committee met in Mumbai to pick the respective squads. During his recovery from cancer, Yuvraj said last month that Twenty20 would be ideal format to mark his return to competitive cricket. However, he was picked despite lacking in match practice.

The Twenty20 squad had a few surprises, most notably the recall of the legspinner Chawla (in both squads), offspinner Harbhajan Singh and the seamer L Balaji. Chawla last played for India during the 2011 World Cup, and his previous Test goes back a further three years. Balaji, who suffered career-threatening injuries through the previous decade, last played for India in 2009. What may have boosted his selection was a successful IPL 2012, during which he played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders' title win.

India's squads Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma T20 squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Dinda

Harbhajan was dropped after failing to make an impression on the tours of West Indies and England last year. His form in domestic cricket wasn't encouraging either. He was ignored for the Tests, but the T20s will give him a chance to stage a comeback in all three formats. He also lends experience to India's spin attack.

Laxman's future as a Test batsman was in doubt after a poor tour of Australia, where he only managed 155 runs in eight innings. Rohit did not get a chance in any of those games, but Rahul Dravid's retirement opened the door not just for him but for a few other young batsmen hoping to break into the Test team. However, Rohit failed to make a mark in the recently concluded limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, possibly jeopardising his Test selection. Pujara's batting for India A in the West Indies made it hard for the selectors to ignore him. He was already earmarked as a Test middle-order prospect.

Rahane, who sparkled during the IPL, was left out of the Twenty20 squad but included for the Tests as a reserve opener. Ishant too returns from a layoff, after skipping the IPL to recover from an ankle surgery. Suresh Raina is back in India's Test plans, after being ignored for the Australia tour.

Kris Srikkanth, in his last selection meeting as chairman of selectors, said: "We have picked the best possible Test team. We looked at the conditions (in Sri Lanka) for the World T20. We feel that we have picked a team that will win us the World Cup. We are very happy Yuvi (Yuvraj) has been declared fit. In 2011 World Cup, he was the Man of the Series. He is a crucial factor from India's point of view."

This selection marks the end of a long and traumatic period for Yuvraj. His issues began with breathing difficulties, nausea and bouts of vomiting blood during India's successful run through the 2011 World Cup, which he ended as the player of the tournament. Six months later he was diagnosed with a rare for of cancer - mediastinal seminoma - and subsequently underwent chemotherapy in the US. He returned to India in April and began training at the NCA in Bangalore in June.

India play two Tests and two Twenty20s against New Zealand before heading to Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20.

India's selection for World T20

I need to start afresh - Harbhajan

Offspinner reveals how he battled various fears in the last year to stay strong

Cricket +

	"Nothing can be taken for granted," says Harbhajan Singh, who has had a tough year sitting out © Fotocorp  Enlarge

On Friday afternoon, as soon as Essex finished a convincing victory against Kent in their Championship match, Harbhajan Singh dashed from Canterbury to the outskirts of London to pay obeisance at a Gurudwara. It was an important day.

August 1, 2011 was the last time Harbhajan hadplayed for India. He had left the England tour mid-way due to a stomach injury. He was two matches away from becoming only the ninth Indian cricketer to play 100 Tests. But a combination of injuries, dip in form and the lack of faith from the selection panel left him stranded on 98 Tests. He missed the home series against West Indies, the away tour of Australia, the Asia Cup and recently the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. In between he lead Mumbai Indians to their maiden Champions League Twenty20 title and replaced Sachin Tendulkar as the captain for the fifth season of the IPL. Yet deep down, Harbhajan was worried if he might ever make a come back.

So today, even before he stepped into the ground, when he received the message about his recall into the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, Harbhajan was caught unawares. Luckily he was distracted by the cricket and played a match-winning hand with three wickets. It was the first time Harbhajan had taken four wickets in a match after the tour of the Caribbean last year.

"It is special. It is good to be back in the team. It is another opportunity to do well. I have played for so many years but that has all gone. I need to start fresh. I am very excited to be part of the team," Harbhajan said, walking late evening on the streets of Chelmsford city to get his dinner. The news was still sinking in, but the sense of hurt and disappointment caused by the year-long hiatus had taken its toll somewhat even on a steely fighter like Harbhajan.

He admitted it was a "very hard and tough year" sitting out, and agreed with the view by his former captain Rahul Dravid, who had said that a comeback was tougher than making a debut. "Nobody would like to be outside the team but as Rahul [Dravid] mentioned it is difficult to make comebacks than playing first time for India. It is much more difficult for a guy like me who has played for 12 years, had a very successful career and then suddenly you are out of the team. Then you have to work even harder and you have to compete with yourself to do even better. Having already set some standards through your various performances you are competing with yourself. You have to step one further now. For that you have to work even more harder, remain even more focused and start again from the scratch."

There was indeed some desperation when everything he tried did not translate into good things on the field. "You work even harder but nothing clicked - I tried everything but either I was getting injured or I was not getting the rewards," Harbhajan said.

The lesson, Harbhajan pointed out, he learned during his time out was "nothing can be taken for granted." Philosophical, yet true. "Even your failure and your success cannot be taken for granted. When you are going through a good patch you tend to ignore certain things. It could be your sleeping habits, it could be waking up at 6 am and going for a jog, it could be a gym session. You think you know you have to do all things. But when you come out of the team, you get injured, you are not doing that well and then you realise these are the things I am missing," he said. So getting stronger, both mentally and physically, were the twin goals that would allow him to be in a good position once he was recalled.

But the injuries posed as the main stumbling blocks. "It took me about three months to recover from the stomach injury. Later I led Mumbai Indians to the title in the Champions League Twenty20 but suddenly I was hit by the shin injury," he said. The shin pain did not allow him to even run for five minutes at a stretch and kept him out for another three months. "My focus completely shifted towards these frequent injuries. I wondered why this was happening." He was desperate. He wanted to come back.

	"I just want to go and enjoy the game because I felt during the time out I had forgotten to enjoy the game."Harbhajan Singh

"I played Ranji Trophy games but did not get too many wickets. I lead Punjab well in the shorter formats. But that was not just enough," he said. He had just two wickets in his bag from the three Ranji matches that he played. Harbhajan was not entirely sure if he had lost his mojo. "I did not feel I had gone wrong drastically. That I had lost everything I had: the control on the ball, the way it spun. Those things were happening, but not the way I wanted it to be."

The fear of another injury had gripped him. But then he started speaking to successful people from all walks of life and their underlying message was to just enjoy his trade. "I just want to go and enjoy the game because I felt during the time out I had forgotten to enjoy the game. Even in the IPL I was under pressure which came out of my own expectations. I was feeling like: I need to lead the side well, I need to perform well to comeback into the side. So that probably affected my chances."

The plan to come to England had a meaning. He wanted to enjoy the game, which had gone missing. The IPL was the final leg of the Indian domestic season and Harbhajan had managed just six wickets in 17 matches without bowling his full quota of overs in as many as eight outings. He then decided to play for an English county and had offers from Essex and Somerset. He understood the challenge was bigger because the domestic batsmen in England are far more conservative in their strokeplay. Also the pitches do not turn much. But he knew he could make a difference. "I am enjoying over here and playing competitive cricket and looking much better than what I was both mentally and physically and bowling lot of overs whenever I get opportunity and the sun is out. I definitely want Essex to finish stronger."

It was a similar scenario in 2007 when Harbhajan had helped his former county Surrey get promoted that season. Back then the selectors had left out Harbhajan from the England tour. But his strong performances at Surrey had earned him a national berth a few months later for the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa, which India won. He remains equally confident this time, too: that Essex would move from Division Two to Division One and India could stake a strong claim to the World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka.