Harbhajan willed himself and worked on for hours. It set him up for the tough road ahead. Now 20, Harbhajan has experienced what most in his age group won't have an inkling about: public adulation and hostility, glamour and indifference, success and pressures.

The period after his action came under scrutiny has been a big test for him. The absence from international cricket (basically One-day Internationals) made him waver from the straight path. But he is back now and would love to shrug off the past.

The upcoming tour to Australia will be one of his biggest tests. India struggled without an off-spinner on their last tour there ('91-92), but this time there are at least two claimants for the slot --Harbhajan and Nikhil Chopra. Also, Vijay Bharadwaj can turn his arm over. Harbhajan would be one-up on the other two, at least for the Test series as his style is more suited to the classical form of cricket. But, with Chopra and Bharadwaj breathing down his neck, his place is hardly secure.

``I have to do well, bowl well to cement my place,'' Harbhajan had said prior to the series against New Zealand.

Though he didn't play in the Mohali Test, Harbhajan will go into the final Test brimming with confidence after his heartening performance at Kanpur today. He was not satisfied with his first-innings spell, but knew it was just a matter of time before the rewards came.

Although he was overshadowed by Anil Kumble, Harbhajan was at his best in the second innings. The New Zealand batsmen didn't look very convincing against Harbhajan. Craig Spearman misread a floater, Stephen Fleming was done in by the bounce and turn while Adam Parore was totally foxed trying to sweep Harbhajan from outside the off-stump. Inshort, he played an ideal foil to Kumble in shaping an Indian win.

Harbhajan first shot into prominence when he picked up wickets in the Moin-ud-Dowla and Buchi Babu tournaments two years back. Navjot Sidhu, the senior pro in the Punjab team, had already sounded some senior Indian players about a ``lad who has an incredible straighter one''. Harbhajan had barely played some Ranji Trophy matches when he bowled the Aussie Greg Blewett in his second over in Test cricket. He had his baptism by fire, being involved in a eye-to-eye confrontation with Ricky Ponting. Probably that was aimed to show the youngster down but Harbhajan refused to blink.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling on his bowling action, however, left him a shattered young man, who was still finding his bearings in international cricket. He was sent to Fred Titmus in England for ``correction on his bowling action''. The action was rectified but the new action also meant that Harbhajan's straighter one did not remain as potent as itused to be. But that's part of the game. Spinners, they say grow wiser by the age and experience and Harbhajan is very lucky on this count.