Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh announced on December 24, 2021 that he was retiring from all forms of competitive cricket. Actress and wife Geeta Basra, who has been a huge support system for him, told Bombay Times, “This wasn’t an overnight decision. He had thought about this for a while. He was anyway semi-retired for the last four-five years. The only cricket that he was playing was in the IPL. Since last year he had it in his head that he wants to retire, but he had his commitments to KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders), so he felt he would announce it once the season was over. So this didn’t come as a shock to me. He had discussed it with me previously. As a wife, I can only support him as he himself knows this best. ”

Talking about the timing of the announcement, she explained, “Every sportsman knows when it’s time for him/her to hang their boots and look forward to the next chapter. For Harbhajan, the motivation to go out there and play was not there anymore. When that happens, you know you need to call it a day. Mentally he retired a long time ago. He was just waiting for the right time to make it official.”

The decision however doesn’t mean that Bhajji will get to spend more time at home. Geeta revealed, “He isn’t actively involved with cricket anymore, but he is busier when he is not playing cricket with his ads, films, shows and appearances. Sometimes, I feel the need to tell him to take some time out for us.”

When asked if she would have liked a farewell match for Bhajji, Geeta says, “That would have been an icing on the cake. Seeing him on the ground playing would have been great. I would have loved for him to have a farewell game. Guess, destiny had other plans. A final match would have been perfect for the retirement though.”