Harbhajan Singh, who is back in the India Twenty20 squad for the upcoming New Zealand series and the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka after spending more than a year out of the team, has said that he is looking to make a fresh start and is not depending on his past laurels.

 

"It's always tough when you are out," Harbhajan told PTI. "Making a comeback is tougher than earning your maiden international call. It involves a lot of things. When you're out, you get injured and then again out. It's always been challenging.

 

"You cannot live in the past glory. For anyone, it does not depend what you've done in the past but what you do in the present and future."

 

Harbhajan's last international appearance was in the Trent Bridge Test during India's tour of England in August 2011. A spate of injuries and a dip in form thereafter left him out of reckoning from the national squad. After below par returns during the IPL, Harbhajan set out for a stint playing county cricket for Essex, which helped him get his confidence back. After the news of his selection, he starred in a pro-40 match for Essex with a five-wicket haul.

 

"I won't say it was frustrating but at times it's difficult not being part of the side for so long. But you're used to the set up. Not only me, it can happen to anyone. You are always going to have ups and downs. But when you get the opportunity, you have to stand up and take it in your stride."

 

Harbhajan said that the upcoming Twenty20s are going to herald a new chapter in his career. "I had the willpower and the desire to wear the India jersey again - it's the biggest thing for me. It makes me proud," he said. "It's not that I was dropped for the first time last year. But it has been for the longest period of time. It makes you feel as if you are doing it for the first time."

 

"I was ready to work hard and take challenge. You get your family and friends' support, but at the end of the day you're all alone fighting it out there in the middle. With Almighty's help, I'm here again and now I'm looking forward towards doing well."