Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, the first Indian bowler to grab a Test hat-trick, announced on Friday his retirement from all forms of cricket.
“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,” the 41-year-old tweeted.
The man known as Turbanator took the fourth-highest number of Test wickets (417) for an off-spinner behind fellow Indian Ashwin Ravichandran and Sri Lankans Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath.
He made his international debut in 1998 and last played for India in 2016, having taken part in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 international T20s.
He continued to play in the Indian Premier League including for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Like all cricketers, I too wanted to bade adieu in Indian jersey but fate had something else in store for me,” he said in a video message. “...there comes a time when you have to take some tough decisions and have to move on in life. Mentally I had retired long back but couldn’t announce it.”
Here are some reactions to his official announcement:
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