'Ricky Ponting was not playing the ball, he was getting out just by watching my face' - Harbhajan Singh

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh revealed that he had caused so many demons in Ricky Ponting's mind that the latter had stopped concentrating on the delivery, and would just get out at the sight of the wily spinner.

Harbhajan Singh talked at length about his rivalry with the former Australian skipper in the latest episode of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

On being asked what he felt when he dismissed Ricky Ponting for the first time, Harbhajan Singh recalled that his maiden dismissal of the Aussie great was in an ODI at Sharjah. The off-spinner revealed that he had also given a send-off to Ponting, even though he himself did not understand those words.

"First time I dismissed Ricky Ponting was in Sharjah. It was an ODI match and I got him stumped. After dismissing him, I said something to him that I didn't know much about. My English wasn't too good at that time, I had heard that word from a lot of people, so I also said that."

An Eighteen year old Harbhajan Singh deceives Ricky Ponting with his Doosra.This is when it all started, Bhajji vs Ponting. This match is famously known for Sachin's 143. #HappyBirthdayHarbhajanSingh @harbhajan_singh pic.twitter.com/lIuNduoQcE

— Parth (@NotThatArcher) July 3, 2020

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Harbhajan Singh recollected that Ricky Ponting, after being dismissed, almost charged at him with his bat in hand.

"Because of that I got banned from the next match. But my memory is that when he got out and I signalled him to go out, he came towards me with his bat as though he was going to hit me. So, I got a bit scared if he would really hit me."

Harbhajan Singh also talked about the famous 2001 Test series against Australia, when the Turbanator had bamboozled Punter with his off-spinning wares. He added that watching the manner of Ricky Ponting's dismissals, it seemed like the latter was not concentrating on the delivery and getting dismissed just by seeing his face.

"After that, when the 2001 series happened it felt like he was not playing the ball but getting out just by watching my face. He was not focusing on the ball at all, if he was focusing on the ball I don't think anyone would get out so many times and that too so easily."

#OnThisDay, 2001W W WFirst Indian To Take A Test Hat-Trick PontingGilchrist WarneAnd He Finished 37.5 -7-123-7@harbhajan_singh pic.twitter.com/0RVryZnfvG

— TAPAS MAKUR (@SRT_for_ever) March 11, 2017

Harbhajan Singh shared the secret behind the special celebration he did after dismissing Ricky Ponting off the first ball he delivered to the latter in the 2nd innings of the Sydney Test in 2008.

"My special celebration for Ricky Ponting was in Sydney. Because he had said that I have dismissed him a lot of times in India but it would be difficult to do so in Australia. There also I dismissed him off the first delivery, so I accompanied him almost to the pavilion, doing somersaults all along the way."

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Harbhajan Singh's record against Ricky Ponting

Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting have had plenty of battles on the cricket field

Harbhajan Singh has dismissed Ricky Ponting on 10 occasions in Test cricket, the most times the Australian has been dismissed by any bowler. Among these 10 dismissals, there were three instances when the wily off-spinner had got rid of the former Australian captain for a duck.

While Ricky Ponting has an excellent overall Test average of 51.85, it dropped down significantly to 22.30 when he was up against Harbhajan Singh. The Australian also has his name etched in the record books as the Indian off-spinner's 300th Test victim and the 200th on home soil.

In the much-discussed 2001 Test series in India, Ricky Ponting scored just 17 runs in 5 innings at a meagre average of 3.4, with Harbhajan Singh dismissing him on each of the five occasions.