Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Former India cricketer turned politician Harbhajan Singh recently opened up on his equation with former India captain and one of the greats of the game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The two cricketers who played together in the national as well as Indian Premier League (IPL) jersey, are not in talking terms after the former spinner hinted that he hasn’t spoke to Dhoni for more than 10 years now.
Harbhajan notably played under MS Dhoni’s captaincy at the T20 World Cup in 2007, ODI World Cup in 2011 as well as at Chennai Super Kings. But the shocking revelations from the former India cricketer has claimed that things do not seem to be alright between the two as they haven’t spoken for more than 10 years now.
I don’t speak to Dhoni: Harbhajan Singh
Speaking on News18, Harbhajan Singh said, “No I don’t speak to Dhoni. When I was playing at CSK, that’s when we spoke, but otherwise, we haven’t spoken. It’s been 10 years and more. I have no reason; perhaps he does. I don’t know what the reasons are. When we were playing in the IPL at CSK, that’s when we used to talk, and that too, was restricted to the ground. After that, he did not come to my room, nor did I go his.” The 44-year-old however did not have reasons to elaborate on the differences, but added that the interactions with ‘Thala’ were limited to on-field talks only during his playing days in the IPL at CSK.
“I don’t have anything against him. If he has something to say, he can tell me. But if he did, he would have told me by now. I never tried to call him because I have a lot of passion. I only ring up those who pick my calls. I don’t have the time otherwise. I stay in touch with the ones I am friends with. A relationship is always about give and take. If I respect you, I hope you will respect me back. Or you respond to me. But if I call you once or twice but don’t get a response, I will probably only meet you as much as I am needed to,” he further added.
Notably, the last time the two represented India together was back in 2015 in an ODI against South Africa. After the 2015 World Cup, Harbhajan Singh was sidelined from the Indian team and did not feature again, forcing him to announce his retirement in 2021. During the period of 2015 till 2021, he however played IPL before he called it quits from all forms of cricket in 2021. On the other hand, MS Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020, but continues to feature in the cash-rich league.
