Harbhajan Singh rejoices 2002 semifinal win over the Proteas, says its the finest CT memory

“I have fond memories of the tournament which we should have won but for the rain in the final" says Bhajji

View : 1K

2 Min Read

Young Indian team's heroics against mighty South Africa
info
Harbhajan Singh (© Getty Images)

Earlier this week, after being announced as the ambassador for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Harbhajan went ahead and claimed that Indians have it in them to defend the title this summer. But, this time around, Harbhajan Singh became reminiscent of India’s triumph over the Proteas in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy way back in 2002.

Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat first posting a competitive total of 261. Sehwag, Dravid, and Yuvraj starred in the innings with their respective contributions. Chasing a tricky total, Gibbs and Kallis threatened to take away the match with South African well poised at 192 for the loss of only one wicket in the 38th over. However, the turning point of the match arrived just after Gibbs was retired hurt after scoring a magnificent century.

The world witnessed one of the most major turnarounds in cricket as the South Africans fell short of the required target by 10 runs. It’s safe to comment that the South African choked yet again in a major event as they succumbed under pressure created by Indian spinners especially Sehwag and Harbhajan.

“I have fond memories of the tournament which we should have won but for the rain in the final. The semifinal (against South Africa) remains memorable. We had posted a good target (262), but the South Africans were cruising (at 192 for one) when (Herschelle) Gibbs retired and I got Jonty Rhodes who fell to an exceptional catch by Yuvraj Singh (at short fine leg). Yuvraj was young then. In the same over, I got (Boeta) Dippenaar, and the game changed in our favor. That (10-run) win is my best Champions Trophy memory.” said a nostalgic Harbhajan Singh in an interview with The Hindu.

Harbhajan Singh also mentioned the importance of a full house crowd in the event which is only second to the world cup.”We have to make the right noises and attract fans to come and celebrate the tournament at the venues. It is important that the stadiums are packed when the world’s best eight teams compete for the title which is next only to the World Cup,” said the Mumbai Indians off-spinner.

The 36-year old concluded by saying that he was looking to promote the game traveling to different cities and venues as an ambassador of the game.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store