Harbhajan warns India stars to expect sleepless night as Pakistan loom

Harbhajan Singh has warned India’s stars to expect a sleepless night ahead of their World Cup showdown with arch rivals Pakistan today. India legend Harbhajan knows from bitter experience just how stressful it is to take part in one of most fierce rivalries in world sport.

The tense political situation between India and Pakistan lends an extra level of animosity whenever the feuding neighbours clash on the cricket pitch. Their latest meeting comes with the stakes even higher than usual in the World Cup at Old Trafford this weekend and Harbhajan is well aware just how high emotions will be running on the pitch and in the stands.

The 38-year-old spinner played 17 times against Pakistan in a 236-match ODI career for India, including arguably their biggest ever match in the 2011 World Cup semi-finals on home soil in Chandigarh. It was such a critical fixture that Harbhajan lay awake for hours tossing and turning in bed the night before the game as he visualised the furious response from the Indian public if they lost.

“The memories of that game was I couldn’t sleep the night before, even though I tried my best,” Harbhajan said. “I was just worried about what would happen if we lost the game. There were a lot of thoughts coming into my mind.