Though he eventually managed to clear his name, the talented spinner was slowly fading out of public memory.
In fact, he was recalled to the Mumbai Ranji side for the final two must-win games only because both the other 'senior' leftarm spinners, Iqbal Abdulla and Vishal Dabholkar failed on a turner in Chennai. Since he hadn't done much for the Mumbai U-23 team, there were a few who questioned the move.
On Sunday at the Wankhede, he proved why people still believe in him. Thanks to his magical spell, during which he took four wickets in 31 balls, Karnataka collapsed from 317 for three to 415 to hand a life-line in the form of a first innings lead to hosts Mumbai on Day Three of the final Ranji Trophy group clash against Karnataka at the Wankhede on Sunday.
It ensured that the Ranji giants' thrilling roller-coaster ride in the Ranji Trophy this season has stretched to the last day of the league stage, when they will come to know whether they have sneaked into the quarterfinals.
It's possible only if none among Baroda, Madhya Pradesh and Railways score an outright win on Monday. On their part though, they have done brilliantly to bag three crucial points to bounce back from a hopeless position. They now stand at the third position in the table with 20 points in their kitty.
Much of the credit for this incredible comeback, apart from a brilliant catch by Abhishek Nayar, must be given to Harmeet, who bowled as many as 50 overs while taking 6-139.
There were large phases in the Karnataka innings when he seemed to be bowling too negatively , but it was a tactic which paid off, especially in scalping the key wicket of R Samarth, whose marathon 527-minute effort of 180 (400b, 16x4, 1x6) was eventually overshadowed by Harmeet.
"I wasn't getting much assistance from the strip. Since the surface wasn't helping our quicks, my role became crucial since they had many right-handers," said Harmeet later.
Explaining his sudden success after tea, Harmeet said: "The effect of the heavy roller wasn't the same. Also, we picked up our intensity level, since it was a last-ditch effort."
Mumbai coach Pravin Amre too hailed Harmeet's effort. "He has lost his way in between. I believe he has a natural ability to generate turn and bounce, which is very rare and important for any bowler. At the moment, we're struggling for spinners not just in Mumbai, but all over India, so it is important for us to take care of this talent to ensure he is on the right track. He must learn from this and has to ensure that he maintains his fitness and works on his skills," he stressed.
Being the perfectionist that he is, Amre still was seeking improvement in Harmeet. "He still has a long way to go. He has to improve a lot, but yes, he has talent. He has to apply himself more, work doubly hard to go to the next level," Amre felt.
Apparently, former India leggie Narendra Hirwani, who is a bowling coach at Air India, where Harmeet is employed, guided the 22-year-old well when the bowler was going through a tough patch.
Reflecting on that phase, Harmeet said: "Everybody around me was supportive, and I too believed I could play again for Mumbai. The time off helped me to work on my bowling."
Brief scores:
Mumbai 436 & 19-0 vs Karnataka 415 (Ravikumar Samarth 180, Shishir Bhavane 62, Robin Uthappa 49; Harmeet Singh 6-139, Akshay Girap 2-128).
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Vishal Dabholkar,Pravin Amre,Iqbal Abdulla,Harmeet Singh,Abhishek Nayar
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