Harbhajan hopes his performance takes a turn for the better

Harbhajan Singh is not a happy man. Not only are the wickets refusing to fall, but he is also not getting the vital lower-order runs that he is capable of. The Turbanator, consequently, is not his usual jovial self.

When this correspondent met him outside the dressing-rooms on the last day of the three-day tour match against the Busta XI, Harbhajan was putting some stitches into a worn thigh-pad. "I am not getting runs. This was the old thigh-pad, the one I was wearing when I got some runs in Bulawayo. So I am trying to get it in shape so that it can bring me luck," he said.

In fact, in that Test in Bulawayo, he scored 66, and his partnership with Sameer Dighe won the match for India. "Whichever stroke I play, the ball is going to the hands of a fielder. I don't know why. But one thing I can say is that if I score 10 runs in any innings, I'll be in a better position to contribute more to the team's total."

But what of his bowling? India is in need of the spinner in Harbhajan more than batsman. He knows only too well that he did not satisfy his fans with his bowling in the Trinidad test. "Yes, I began well, but then the wickets didn't come. On the Queen's Park Oval wicket, the ball didn't turn that much," said Harbhajan. "And this is my first tour to this part of the world. But I am confident of picking wickets. When I start picking them, I pick five."

Harbhajan bowled well against Brian Lara in the first innings of the second Test, where the West Indian left-hander was lucky to survive two close lbw calls off the off-spinner's bowling. "I think I had bowled reasonably against him. But he is a great batsman, and mind it, he has not pulled yet in this series, maybe because of his injury," Harbhajan said. "He will be a different batsman when he starts pulling. I am enjoying bowling against him. The way he played Murali was just unbelievable."

How does Harbhajan rate his contemporary great, Muttiah Muralitharan? "Have you seen how he is using his outgoing deliveries? No batsman will try to lift him by coming out of the crease, even in the one-dayers. And he never gives away more than 40-odd runs in his quota of 10 overs. That is a great achievement."

"I am also trying to develop the outgoing delivery and use it as one of my surprise weapons. In Trinidad, I got (Ramnaresh) Sarwan with a delivery of that kind. But I have to use it more and in a more effective manner," he said.

That he was a member of an Indian side that won a Test in the Caribbean gives him a tremendous boost. Harbhajan has the captain's confidence too, which is a must for any spinner. And since a spinner of Anil Kumble's stature is sitting out, there is more pressure on Harbhajan to perform. If he fares badly, however, it will not augur well for the Indians in the remaining three Tests.