Every day I wake up with a dream to play for India again, says Harbhajan

Harbhajan Singh still hasn’t given up hope of playing for India again — saying that it remains his biggest motivation. The World Cup winner got his final Test chance back two years back and his last ODI came in 2011. He played in the World T20 in 2012 too. However, R Ashwin has been India’s main spinner in recent times — and Harbhajan has found it hard breaking into the India side.

“There is this burning desire inside me to make it back to the Indian team,” he told IPLT20.com , adding: “That is the reason why I am playing cricket. Playing for India is the biggest thing and the most satisfying thing for me. That is the biggest motivation for me.”

The Turbanator, who has 413 Test wickets and 259 ODI wickets, said that he wakes up every day with a dream to make it back into the Indian side — but realises that there is stiff competition.

“The year Mumbai Indians won the IPL (2013), I took 24 wickets and in the previous year I took 14. Again, this year I have bowled well and taken 16 wickets. I have been bowling well and I am looking forward to better things ahead. Hopefully I can make a comeback in the Test matches. That is what I want to do,” he said.

Harbhajan is having a fairly good IPL 8 — taking 16 wickets in 14 matches, including the vital wickets of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni in the first qualifier in which Mumbai beat Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs. He also scored a 19-ball half-century in the league stages — the fastest of this year’s tournament.

Mumbai Indians will next face the winner of CSK vs the winner of the eliminator (Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore) in the IPL final on 24 May.