With cricket coming to a standstill due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the players are taking it to social media to talk to fellow cricketers as well as fans. Many are also participating in live sessions organized by state boards and T20 franchises to reflect on their lives in cricket and beyond.
In one such interaction with Chennai Super Kings, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh opened up about his initial days at the franchise. The 38-year-old joined CSK in 2018 after representing Mumbai Indians since the inception of the Indian Premier League (2008).
He admitted that it was 'strange' when he first donned the CSK jersey, adding that every game against the Dhoni-led side felt like an India-Pakistan match in terms of intensity.
"First time, it was very strange. I was like 'what is this? Is this a dream?'," said Harbhajan.
"Whenever we played against CSK, it was like India-Pakistan, it was a tough game. Then suddenly, I was not wearing blue and wearing yellow was difficult. It was very difficult to get used to."
"Luckily, we played our first match against Mumbai. I was like, 'it was good we got over this match early'. Throughout the first season, it was difficult. After that, we won the trophy. The second season was better," said the spinner.
While Harbhajan lifted the 2018 IPL title with the franchise, the side missed completing a double in 2019 as it lost to Mumbai Indians in the final.
With MI, he won the IPL on three occasions. He was also the franchise's first-ever captain in 2008, when Sachin Tendulkar, originally the skipper of the side, was ruled out of the initials stages of the league with an injury.
Under normal circumstances, Harbhajan would be appearing for CSK in his third season at the franchise. However, the coronavirus pandemic has forced a halt across the sport all over the globe.
(With inputs from IANS)
