Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh starts his fifth cricket academy in Kolkata

Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh starts his fifth cricket academy in Kolkata: Out of favor Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who was in Kolkata to play the first match of the season for the Mumbai Indians against defending champions KKR at the Eden Gardens, used his visit to the city to start the Harbhajan Singh Institute of Academy (HSIA) in Kolkata.

This is HSIA’s first academy outside Punjab; they have other four centers at Bhajji’s home state. Harbhajan had started it with the aim of diverting the energies of the youth of Punjab towards cricket and sports, who are otherwise getting trapped into addictions and there is a rise in the youth indulgence with drugs.

PTI quoted Harbhajan saying, “One of the reasons to start an academy in Punjab was to de-addict. Many youngsters indulge in drug addiction in Punjab. So the idea is to divert them towards sports,” he said at the launch of the fifth centre of Harbhajan Singh Institute of Academy (HSIS) at the Delhi Public School in Megacity, New Town in the outskirts of the city. 34-year-old spinner said the academy will provide many youngsters an opportunity to learn cricket.

“We’re not here to make money, we’re here to promote cricket. That’s what our agenda is. There’s enough talent in Bengal, India and wherever I go. All we need is to give them is best infrastructure and facilities. Who knows we may produce another Dada (Sourav Ganguly) from here,” he said.

“The motive is to promote cricket. Not everyone is lucky like me. We’ll try not only to teach them cricketing skills but ensure that there is overall development in their personalities.”

The off spinner has enjoyed remarkable success playing in Kolkata at the Eden Gardens and that was one of the prime reasons that prompted him to start it here. Bhajji said, “Cricket has given me a lot, so it’s my moral duty to give something back to the game. This is not only for me or the kids; this will be a source of income for my cricketer friends as well. There are many former cricketers who are jobless. It will be a good platform for them as well.”

On what goals does the academy aim at he said, “If 50 cricketers from these centres go on to represent their respective states and five make India cut, then it would be a success. “I’ll also visit them pretty often as per our programme.

He also made it clear that the focus will not only be on cricket but all sporting activities, “There will be other sports activities also,” Harbhajan further added.

Now that he is shifting his focus to other aspects of the game than just playing does Harbhajan want to turn a full time coach? “No not at all. I am still playing active cricket. I will think about it after 4-5 years. I’ve still not thought about it whether I would get into coaching or something else.” He concluded with.