https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/st...-an-india-pakistan-contest-1206830-2018-04-07
he IPL 11 season opener on Saturday will be a game of mixed emotions for Harbhajan Singh. Having sported the Mumbai Indians (MI) jersey for 10 years in a row, the seasoned India off spinner will be facing off against Mumbai in their own backyard, the Wankhede stadium for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Harbhajan carries to the CSK dressing room all his experience, guile, good-natured chirp and fighting spirit as the mighty Chennai side returns back to the IPL fold after serving a two-year suspension.
Here are excerpts of a fun-filled interview with Harbhajan Singh previewing the Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings mega contest for India Today.
IPL 2018: Defending champions Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings in opener
MOVING FROM VADA PAV TO IDLI SAMBHAR
I love all food. I have had as many vada pavs as I could. I have now moved on to idli sambhar. It's my favourite as well because on the breakfast table, I prefer South Indian food; from dosas to idlis. Look, Mumbai has given me lots of love. I have played for Mumbai Indians for 10 years and had great moments which gave me these memories. At the same time I now thank CSK for giving me this chance and I will try to live up to their expectations. MI-CSK will be a strong match like always and I will try to do it for Chennai this time.
BEING CSK'S CHIEF STRATEGIST AGAINST MI
When you have played with a team for a few years you know a few things. Here I have played with MI for 10 years. So I know the conditions, the approach of their bowlers, their batsmen. I am asked things and I give my inputs. And why not? CSK is my team and I will try to contribute as much as I can. This is one of those grounds where run scoring happens at a brisk pace and bowlers are always under a hammer. So in order to get the right results, it's important for the bowlers to be in the right frame of mind. One has to try and get the batsmen out rather than looking for dot balls.
MI-CSK IS LIKE AN INDIA-PAKISTAN CONTEST
Both the teams will fight like tigers and we will try to get the right result. A MI-CSK contest is like India-Pakistan of IPL. It's a contest of two strong tigers. The loyalty of CSK fans is amazing. What I saw in Chennai, I was like wow, this is amazing! They are so keen to see their team back. I have seen it at practice and in the city. I thank everyone who stood by CSK through difficult times. We know if we play 20 overs of better cricket than them with bat and ball, we will win.
RETURN OF CAPTAIN DHONI
Dhoni has been one of the top leaders for India and IPL. He has been part of 6 IPL finals. He must be keen to get some runs under his belt. He hasn't got as many runs in the end overs for India of late. To be honest he hasn't had enough opportunities, coming in very late in the innings which is very tough. He is a kind of player who needs time to get in and score. He is a kind of a player who can hit six of a good ball. Hopefully our captain gets a lot of runs this time.
LOTS OF STRENGTH LEFT IN MY FINGERS
Yes, lots of strength left in these fingers. When you go inside the ground, it's all about competition. It's no longer about which colour you are playing for. When you become competitive, it's bat vs ball. The jersey has changed but the passion hasn't gone anywhere. When I play on the field, I play like a tiger.
