The Irani Cup 2012-13 will perhaps be the most important match for Harbhajan Singh in the last few months. His performance against Mumbai in this match could decide the path his Test career takes from this point forward. With 99 Tests under his belt and the home Test series against Australia about a fortnight away, the veteran off-spinner will be determined to return a performance so special that it becomes impossible for Sandip Patil and co. to ignore him.
On the eve of the Irani Cup, Harbhajan spoke of the match as a “comeback game” for many members of the ROI team who have lost their respective places in the Test team either due to poor form or injuries.
“They are all one step away from representing India,” Harbhajan said of his ROI teammates. “It is a great opportunity. This is a comeback game for all of us. Everyone will try to do well.
"We have good players. Viru [Virender Sehwag] is leading the team. Besides, we have Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay. [...] Hopefully, they do well and get back into the Indian side,” the off-spinner said.
While Sehwag and Harbhajan have already carved out a successful Test career for themselves and are looking to regain the lost touch, their ROI teammate Suresh Raina’s aim is to carry forward his supreme limited overs performances into the longest format.
Harbhajan backed the left-handed batsman to fulfil his Test dreams. “Raina of course batted well in the ODI series [against England]. It is a great opportunity for him to score some big runs here and play Test cricket," the senior offie said.
While Harbhajan said that there was nothing to choose between ROI and Mumbai skill-wise, he did opine that playing at home gives Mumbai an edge. “In terms of playing cricket, we are equal. But Mumbai has the advantage of playing at home. Of course they have a big advantage of having Tendulkar in their side too," Harbhajan said.
Speaking of the Wankhede track, on which Harbhajan plays his IPL home games as part of the Mumbai Indians, the offie termed it as a “true wicket” and “the best wicket in India to play cricket.”
“For a couple of days, it will seam around, move around. The bowlers will get good carry off the wicket and the conditions are especially helpful for the fast bowlers. If you do get in as a batsman, you get to score a lot of runs.
"As a spinner you are always there in the game on this wicket. You need to be consistent with your line and length.
Here and there, you can go for plenty. It is a challenging wicket. I hope the wicket behaves the same way,” Harbhajan said.
