Harbhajan carved a unique space for himself in India’s spin lineage

The fiery off-spinner, who forged a potent combination with Kumble, formally retires

For a spinner who remained fiery on the field and raucous fun off it, his walk towards the cricketing twilight proved to be a gentle breeze. An era concluded as Harbhajan Singh tweeted and added a YouTube video through which he .

The sign-off through words high on gratitude effectively signalled the end of a generation in Indian cricket. Over the last few years, chronologically, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and M.S. Dhoni pressed the exit button. The last-named is still displaying his skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but for Harbhajan this is his final full stop.

At 41, and having turned out last for India in 2016 in an Asia Cup T20I against the United Arab Emirates at Dhaka, Harbhajan was restricted to his IPL outings, be it for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings or Kolkata Knight Riders. His retirement was inevitable but he took his time to make a formal announcement.