Filling the void created by the absence of Anil Kumble, unheralded Harbhajan Singh showed his class by repeatedly running through the Australian batsmen in the unlikely 2-1 series victory earlier this year. With 32 wickets in the three-Test Series, Harbhajan signaled his arrival as a major player.

Currently on tour in Zimbabwe with the Indian team, Cricket365 caught up with Singh shortly after his side's disappointing second Test defeat to the home side. The result ensured that the Zimbabweans squared the series, and denied the Indians a coveted away win.

1. This time last year very people outside of India knew who you were. Then came the series against Australia, in which you took a massive 32 wickets. How has your life changed since then? 

Things haven't really changed that much. People recognize me in the street now, and that never happened before, but that doesn't really bother me… I like it. 

2. Have you always been a spin bowler? 
Yes, I have always liked spin bowling. It is what I have always done, and what I always wanted to be good at from an early age. 

3. Who were your role models when growing up? 
There was nobody specific, I just admired all spinners - anyone who spun the ball, I admired them. 

4. How do you explain India's poor Test record, away from home? 
It is hard to explain. I think we are playing good cricket. We think we are a good team. We have a good coach and we are working hard. The away win will happen, I am very confident of that. In Zimbabwe we had just one bad day. We lost the series in a few hours on Monday when we lost 6 wickets for 37 runs. It was very disappointing, because aside from that we had played very good cricket. 

5. India plays a lot of one-day cricket - do you think the number of ODI's you play has an impact on Test performances? 
Well these days you have to play both. If you want to be a good cricketer you have to adjust so it shouldn't matter what cricket you play as long as you adjust. But you do see that nobody, batsmen or anybody, likes to defend. In any type of game you see that if a batsman has defended three or four balls he is going to come stepping out and try to hit the ball. He is going to try play positive shots and attack. Bowlers also don't like to defend. 

6. Which form of the game do you prefer? 
I just love to play cricket, whatever type it is I don't mind. I like Tests and one-day cricket; I even like bowling in the nets. 

7. The political climate in Zimbabwe is very unstable at the moment. Has the team been forced into taking extra security precautions? 
We do have security here. It is the first time that I have toured outside of Asia and we have had security with us. In Australia and New Zealand we had no security people with us, but we always have security with us in Asia - even in India.

But Zimbabwe is nice. We are free to go anywhere and have not been troubled by anything. I was here in 1998 as well and really enjoyed it then. Then I saw the Victoria Falls and things, but this time I have not had the time. It is a good place to visit.
 
8. Are you looking forward to the Asian Test Champs, and more specifically the long awaited clash against Pakistan? 
If we play, it will be great. We really, really want to do well against them. It is a very big thing for us to do well against Pakistan. We were all from the Indian subcontinent and we all speak the same languages; we know each other. The Pakistani batsmen, and also the Sri Lankans, are the best again spin so it also means a lot for our bowlers to really perform well against them. 

9. Doesn't it ever get hot wearing a turban? 
No, it is okay! It is because of my religion that I wear it and I always wear it. I even wear it under my helmet when I bat. I am a Sikh and there is a big Sikh community in India. I must be a role model for all the Sikhs. The people are always looking to me to do well, and it is important for me to deliver for my country, for my state and for my people. 

10. What cricketing ambitions do you still want to fulfill? 
Well we think we are a very good team, but it is very important for us to win a series abroad. We were unlucky in Zimbabwe, but now we move on to play South Africa later this year and playing South Africa in South Africa will be a really big challenge. It will be another chance for us to measure our skills and try to prove again that we are one of the best teams around. If we can beat them then we can say, "We are a really good team."