Harbhajan and Yuvraj need to mend their ways
Harbhajan Singh might be at the top of his game with bat and ball, but his consistently poor conduct over the first three seasons of the IPL leaves a lot to be desired, feels Khalid A-H Ansari
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
Harbhajan Singh might be at the top of his game with bat and ball, but his consistently poor conduct over the first three seasons of the IPL leaves a lot to be desired, feels Khalid A-H Ansari. Writing in Mid-day, Ansari says that although he loves 'Bhajji', the phenomenal entertainer, "I could do without his wanton shenanigans".
Leave aside his behaviour towards opponents in Test and one-day cricket, which have earned him opprobrium from umpires, match referees, the media and fans in India and abroad, Harbhajan's raffish behaviour in the three editions of IPL has been notably consistent.
The redoubtable off-spinner's constant refrain that his "aggression" helps his performance is patently misconceived. If anything, it is self-defeating.
Writing in his blog, Smoke Signals, Prem Panicker thinks it is time for Yuvraj Singh to rise above fitness and attitude problems, and stop taking things for granted.
When the batting bench was under-staffed, the Prince of Sulks could get away with riding his luck and playing the odd game-breaking innings once or twice a season to keep himself in the frame [when I brought up his name in a recent chat with friends, two of them were quick to go 'Remember his six sixes?']. That, I suspect, is a luxury he can no longer afford.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo