Harbhajan Singh to play his 100th Test against Australia

Set to complete a century of Test appearances, veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today said he is a "bit nervous" going into the first Test against Australia starting here tomorrow.

With 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1, Harbhajan has been one of India's most prolific bowlers even though he has been enduring a tough phase for some time.

The off-spinner will become only the 10th Indian cricketer to achieve the milestone after it was confirmed that he will be in the playing eleven for the series opener.

"It's a big game," Harbhajan, who interestingly found fame after wrecking the same team in the famous 2001 series, said at the pre-match press conference here.

"(The previous) 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before," the 32-year-old spinner added.

Talking about the milestone, Harbhajan said the next target would be to add another 50 Tests to his CV.

"I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start with, but I will be fine.

"Once I get away with 100, we will see what needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work even harder," he said.

Reflecting on a career which has had its share of highs and lows, Harbhajan said he has learnt never to give up through the journey.

"It's been a journey with lots of ups and downs. No one can always be at the top and no one will be always down... You will have ups and down, like normal guys, doing routine things," Harbhajan said.

"What I've learnt from great players is to never give up. These guys have done so well for India, made themselves great cricketers and ambassadors for the game. They had one thing in common ¿ never give up. That made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard.

... contd.

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