I'd like a film or web series on my life, want people to know my side of the story: Harbhajan Singh

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed his wish to have a biopic made on his life. The 41-year-old announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2021, after having represented India in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is, apart from playing 163 IPL matches.

Harbhajan explained that he wants everyone to know what kind of an individual he was during his playing days while hinting that many do not know “his side of the story”. A biopic on an international cricketer or cricketing event in India is not unseen or unheard of, as one each on former Indian skippers MS Dhoni and Mohammad Azharuddin have already been made, while ’83, based on Kapil Dev-led India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, was released only recently.

“I would like a film or a web series made on my life so that people can also know my side of the story, what kind of a guy I am, and what I do,” said Harbhajan told Zee News.

Asked who he would like to see playing the villain in his biopic, he said: “Can’t say who would be the villain in my biopic. There is not one but many”.

The former off-spinner also rued the fact that he did not get a chance to bid the game goodbye with a farewell game. “Every player wants to retire wearing the India jersey but luck will not always be on your side and sometimes what you wish for, doesn’t happen. The big names that you have taken like VVS (Laxman), Rahul (Dravid), Viru (Virender Sehwag), and many others who took retirement later didn’t get the chance,” he said.

Some BCCI officials were behind my ouster from the India team: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan reckoned that he would have gone on to take many more wickets for the team, had it not been for his ouster from the team, for which he blamed “some BCCI officials”.

“…To a certain extent, there were some BCCI officials who were involved in this [his exit from the team] and they didn’t want me and the captain [MS Dhoni] may have supported that but a captain can never be above the BCCI. The BCCI officials have always been bigger than the captain, coach, or the team.”

“…I was 31 when I took 400 wickets and if I would have played another 4-5 years, keeping in mind the kind of standards I had set for myself, I can tell you that I would have taken another 100-150 wickets or more,” he added.