Harbhajan Singh has threatened to take legal action against controversial umpire Darrell Hair if the Australian continued to damage his reputation by making provocative comment that youngsters with suspect action have made him a role model.
“I have no time for Darrell Hair’s nonsense. Who the hell is he? Is he bigger than the ICC? But if he tries to damage my reputation or belittle my achievements as an international cricketer with another provocative comment, I will be speaking to BCCI and seek legal action against Hair,” an angry Harbhajan said.
Hair in a recent interview to an Australian daily had said, “”I said it in the late ’90s that if something wasn’t done about it you’d have a generation of chuckers on your hands and now you have. They try to emulate Harbajan Singh and Saqlain Mushtaq and Murali and that’s the problem”. From the start of his career, there is no love lost between Harbhajan and the Australians but what he disliked about Hair’s comment was his idea of trying to paint everyone with the same brush.
“Just because three or four international bowlers’ action has been found suspect, who gives him (Hair) the right to put everyone in the same bracket. Those, who have problems with their action will undergo corrective measures.
“Saqlain Mushtaq invented the doosra and I perfected the art. I am proud of having successfully executed the doosra. If some bowlers are not being able to bowl doosra within legal limits, it is not my look-out,” said the 34-year-old bowler, who is aiming to make a comeback into the Indian team for the Australian tour.
“Let me put a question for Hair. He has officiated in a number of international matches in which I have bowled. Why didn’t he challenge the ICC then? Just when three bowlers are called, he wakes up and makes a random comment.
He could not because he knew there was nothing wrong. “And what does he mean by role models like Murali, Saqlain or Harbhajan? Did we teach them to bowl with suspect action?” he fumed.
