Harbhajan Singh defends Shardul Thakur on the jersey No.10 controversy

Debutant Shardul Thakur was impressive in the 4th ODI against Sri Lanka. The pacer bowled 7 overs and ended with figures of 1/26. He picked up the first wicket of the match by dismissing Lankan opener Niroshan Dickwella. He was in the news but not for his on-field performance. The medium-fast bowler was slammed by the fans of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for wearing jersey number 10 during the match.

Sachin’s fan following world wide is second to none, and there is an emotion attached to him, as he shouldered the hopes and expectation of the country for over two decades. Therefore, when the fans witnessed Shardul sporting the no 10 on his back, he wasn’t spared.  Many people criticized the 25-year old, as he played his first game for the nation sporting a number related to someone who is termed as ‘God’ in the cricket crazy country. Indian spinner, and Sachin’s close friend, Harbhajan Singh came to the rescue of the Maharashtra born bowler and said that he should not be criticized for sporting the number- 10 on his jersey.

Bhajji backs Thakur

“What’s the poor guy’s fault if he wore that jersey? If he’s grown up watching Tendulkar, it may have been his dream to wear the No. 10 jersey and play for India, for which he’s worked hard. It could be his way of paying tribute to the great man, or emulate him, or it could be his lucky number.” Harbhajan told TOI on Friday.

“Everyone has their emotions. We all respect Sachin paaji. No one wore that jersey till the time he was playing. That jersey will live on forever. Its respect will not go down simply because someone else is wearing it. It’s the Board which must decide if it wants to retire or preserve this jersey number, and dedicate it to Sachin. And if it was to be done, it should’ve been done when he quit the game (in 2013). If you speak Sachin also, he wouldn’t have a problem with someone wearing it,” Harbhajan concluded.