The rivalry between Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh has been one of the more significant topics of debate during the initial years of the last decade. Ashwin, who gradually took over the role from Harbhajan, is a regular in India's Test line-up. Harbhajan, meanwhile, is out-of-favour in all three formats. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
The rivalry has often ignited rumours of 'jealousy' between the two. It was often reported that there have been tensions between the two premier spinners of the country.
The rumours began in 2016 when Harbhajan voiced his displeasure about the spin-friendly pitches, and a Bengali daily later quoted him saying that the pitches didn't assist spin bowling to this extent during his prime. The statement led to Ashwin questioning the claims in a press conference. "It's unfortunate that people don't understand this. We should be allowed to enjoy our brand of cricket. Nobody is bothered when England wins a Test in two days. So what's the problem if the same happens in India?" he questioned.
The rumours became so dominant across all the social media platforms that Ashwin had to later take to Twitter to clear the air. "By pitting players against each other we aren't going to gain anything but just a juicy headline.Lets respect ppl and keep the game healthy," he tweeted.
Four years down the line, Harbhajan and Ashwin came together for the first time on a live chat on Instagram. Harbhajan took the opportunity to refute the claims that there was 'jealousy' between the two.
The 38-year-old spinner said that Ashwin is the 'best off-spinner' in the world at the moment.
"A lot of people would say that there is a lot of jealousy between us. But I would want to call out to those detractors and say there is nothing like that. Ashwin is the best offie in the world right now. I also rate Nathan Lyon highly,” said Harbhajan.
Harbhajan further said that Ashwin is 'a legend in the making', adding that he hopes he ends up among the highest wicket-takers in the world.
"The Aussie (offie) is also up there because he has done extremely well for himself given the fact that he comes from Australia where the pitches hardly aid spinners. But Ashwin is a legend in the making. Going forward, I only want him to stay fit because he is capable of taking a lot more wickets and could finish among the highest wicket-takers in the world," said the Indian bowler.
