Harbhajan Singh was among the first batch of trainees to join the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. During his time at the academy, he encountered a situation that would lead to his removal in 2000. The incident centred on the quality of food provided to trainees and the academy's failure to follow its own prescribed diet plan.
In an interview, Harbhajan opened up about the circumstances that led to his expulsion. The NCA had established a structured diet chart designed by experts to guide the nutrition
provided to trainees. However, the actual food served to the young cricketers did not align with the prescribed plan, creating a gap between what was promised and what was delivered.
"Waha se mujhe nikaal diya gaya. Woh meri galti nahi thi. Main aaj bhi is baat ko khule aam kehta hoon, kyunki woh hamara haq tha. Jo hamara khaana tha, woh achha nahi tha [They removed me from there. It was not my mistake; I say this openly even today. It was our right. The food was not good there]," Harbhajan told Cricketnext.
The diet chart dispute at the NCA and Why Harbhajan tore it
Harbhajan explained that the academy had rules and regulations in place, with a diet chart that was supposed to guide the nutrition provided to trainees. He had repeatedly complained about the food not matching the prescribed chart, but his concerns went unaddressed.
"Wahan jo rules aur regulations the, woh yahi the ki humein bahut kuch padhaya ja raha tha, sikhaya ja raha tha. Ek chart lagaya tha, jismein tha ki ye diet honi chahiye, expert ki diet ke hisaab se humein woh diet milni chahiye. Lekin woh khaana mil nahi raha tha.
[Back then, the rules and regulations were such that we were told and taught a lot, and a chart was put up for the diet. But we were not getting food as per that diet. Despite complaining many times, the food did not improve. So one day I tore that chart. This was my only mistake, that I tore the chart," he added.
The aftermath and his international career
The act of tearing the diet chart became the formal grounds cited for his removal from the academy. Harbhajan maintained that his action was a form of protest against the poor conditions rather than a disciplinary violation. He believed the academy authorities used the incident as justification for expelling him, even though the underlying issue was the failure to provide adequate nutrition to trainees.
"But maybe till someone does something like this, things don't change. I was fighting for the rights. If I had not stood up, even today the same diet plan would have been followed. The plan changed, and I was also removed; that is a different thing, but it was not my fault. There were some people in the BCCI who did not want someone who could stand up and question them," the legendary bowler revealed.
Despite the early setback at the academy, Harbhajan went on to represent India from 1998 to 2016 across all formats. The veteran cricketer finished his international career with more than 700 wickets. In Tests, he played 103 matches and took 417 wickets, including a grand total of 25 five-wicket hauls and five instances of taking 10 wickets in a match. In one-day internationals, he featured in 236 games and claimed 269 wickets with three five-wicket hauls. He also played 28 T20 Internationals and took 25 wickets in the format.
