"Another person could easily have buckled under the string of personal and professional setbacks that marked the early part of his career. Channelising potential frustration into unbridled aggression, Harbhajan Singh held his own at the highest level for a decade and a half," Laxman said on Twitter.
Laxman and Harbhajan were part of a highly successful Indian team under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly which beat some of the best sides of that era in their own backyard. VVS and Bhajji are best remembered for their match winning exploits in the memorable 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia in which India clinched one the most famous wins from the jaws of defeat in the history of Test cricket.
Harbhajan had picked up a hat-trick in the second innings and returned with match winning figures of 13/196 as India clinched the contest by 171 runs at the Eden Gardens. That victory ended Australia's 16-match winning streak while this Test was only the third instance in history when a team had won a match after being enforced to follow-on.
The 39-year-old veteran off-spinner is among the select few international bowlers to have scalped 400 wickets in Test cricket. The Turbanator played 103 Tests and 236 ODIs for India in which he has picked up a staggering 417 and 269 wickets respectively. Besides, Bhajji has also played 28 T20Is in which he has picked 25 wickets. His last appearance for India came in a T20I game against UAE in 2016.
Laxman has been paying tributes to some of the leading cricketers he's played alongside and who had an influence on him and his career. Apart from Harbhajan, he has so far paid tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Virender Sehwag.