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Harbhajan Singh, one of India's most successful spinners, has officially announced his retirement from cricket on Friday. He posted a heartfelt video on his YouTube channel to share the news with fans. While he played his last professional cricket match for KKR in IPL 2021, his last outing in Indian colours came way back on 4 March 2016 in a T20I game against UAE.
"All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable. My heartfelt thank you," Harbhajan tweeted.
Harbhajan took 711 international wickets
The former off-spinner, famously known as Turbanator, had an illustrious cricket career playing for India. He took 711 international wickets (Test: 417, ODI: 269, T20I: 25) in 367 appearances across all formats which speaks volumes about the great things he achieved on the field for the country.
While he was a beast with the ball in hand, he also played some match-winning cameos with the bat throughout his playing days. The right-handed batsman notably has 2 hundred and 9 half-centuries to his name in Test cricket.
He also had a very successful career in the Indian Premier League. In 163 IPL matches, he took 150 wickets while representing Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Turbanator reflects on his cricket journey
Reflecting on his glorious cricket career, Harbhajan said, "My first happy moment came when I took a hattrick in Kolkata (in 2001) to become the first-ever Indian cricketer to achieve the feat in Test cricket. In that series (against Australia), I took 32 wickets in 3 matches and that is still a record."
He added, "After that, the World Cup victories in 2007 and 2011 were significant moments and I will cherish those unforgettable memories forever. I would not be able to express in words the happiness I felt during those triumphs."
The 41-year-old thanked his mentor, family, BCCI, Punjab Cricket Association, all the various teams he played for, his teammates, opponents and fans for their support in his incredible cricket journey.