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India will comeback strong: Harbhajan
Kolkata: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday said his side will comeback strong after the two consecutive defeats and play their best game against South Africa in their third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
The visitors have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series but Harbhajan sais winning the inconsequential tie will surely boost the confidence of his side ahead of the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches.
“We want to play our best game tomorrow. Once we start winning, we will be a very difficult side to beat,” Harbhajan told reporters at the pre-match media conference.
“Every game is a challenge for us from now on. Yes, we lost the series and we did not play the way we should have but Eden is a special ground and if we win tomorrow, it would be a massive boost for us leading into the Tests and One-Dayers,” said the veteran offie.
Harbhajan, who has some great memories of Eden Gardens, including a hat-trick that helped India put a halt on Australia’s 16 consecutive Test wins in 2001, said the ground is like home to him.
“Eden Gardens is a special place, it is like coming home! Whenever I have played here I have had excellent memories,” said the 35-year-old.
Harbhajan also believes the spinners will have a major role to play in the T20 World Cup which will be held here in India next year.
“Spinners will have a major role to play in the T20 World Cup, the pitches here are slow and they will be successful. If you see the IPL and other tournaments here, spinners have always picked up wickets and have been able to put the brakes on the scoring,” he said.
Harbhajan, who has 417 Test wickets and 263 ODI scalps, added that he would preferably retire from the iconic venue playing a Test match.
“I would want to retire from here preferably after playing a Test match,” he said.
Lastly he said that veteran cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya, who passed away on September 20, will be “missed”.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.