{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "How a TV Song Made Harbhajan Singh Fall for Geeta Basra, and Why It Took Him 7 Years to Win Her Over",
  "summary": "Harbhajan Singh fell for Geeta Basra after seeing her in a song on television while he was in London, and despite being turned down on his first proposal, he refused to give up, the two eventually marrying in October 2015 after about 7 years of dating.",
  "content": "Indian cricket's legendary off spinner Harbhajan Singh has a personal story that reads like a Bollywood script. The bowler whose spin troubled the world's best batters for years fell for actress Geeta Basra in a manner just as dramatic as his cricket, and while his career kept getting pulled into major controversies, his romance with Geeta kept moving forward until the two eventually got married.\n\nA song on television that changed everything\nThe story goes back to a time when Harbhajan was in London. One day he watched the song Woh Ajnabi from the film The Train on television. He was so struck by actress Geeta Basra, who appeared in the song, that he decided right then that he had to meet her.\n\nA call to Yuvraj Singh, then a message that went unanswered\nTo find out more about Geeta, Harbhajan called his close friend and fellow cricketer Yuvraj Singh from London. He then used his contacts in Bollywood to get hold of Geeta's phone number. As soon as he had it, he messaged her and invited her for coffee. Geeta, who was born in Portsmouth in Britain, did not take the star bowler's message seriously at the time and never replied.\n\nThe T20 World Cup win became the turning point\nThe one sided chase changed only after Team India became T20 World Cup champions. Following that win, Geeta herself called Harbhajan to congratulate him, and that call opened the door to conversation between the two. Harbhajan then invited Geeta to watch an IPL match, but she did not turn up, leaving him disappointed. Even so, the friendship between them kept growing stronger.\n\nRejected the first time, married after 7 years\nWhen Harbhajan proposed marriage to Geeta for the first time, she turned him down, citing her Bollywood career. But Harbhajan was not the kind to give up easily. He stayed in touch with Geeta, and after nearly 7 years of dating, the two finally got married in October 2015. The couple now has two children, daughter Hinaya Heer and son Jovan Veer Singh.\n\nWhen the cricket field turned into a storm centre\nWhile Harbhajan and Geeta were growing closer, his name on the field was getting tied to some of the biggest controversies in Indian cricket history. Geeta Basra once said in an interview that Harbhajan may look tough and stern on the outside, but he is soft hearted at his core. Still, that aggressive streak on the field led to more than one storm.\n\nDuring the Sydney Test of the 2008 Australia series, Harbhajan Singh got into a heated argument with Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds. The Australian team accused Harbhajan of making a racial remark, calling Symonds a monkey. The row escalated so much that cricketing ties between India and Australia were put at stake, and Harbhajan was even handed a temporary ban.\n\nThe slap that cost Sreesant a whole season\nAround the same period, during the first season of the IPL, Harbhajan Singh crossed every line of discipline. After a match, he slapped bowler S. Sreesant on the field, and Sreesant was seen crying live on camera afterwards. Harbhajan was banned for the entire season over the incident and faced heavy criticism.\n\nGeeta's arrival brought a change, and an apology\nAs time passed and Geeta Basra came into his life, Harbhajan grew visibly more mature. Owning up to his mistake, he publicly expressed regret over the Sreesant episode, saying, \"What happened was wrong. I made a mistake that left both my teammate and me embarrassed.\" Geeta, too, kept holding up a mirror to him. As Harbhajan himself put it, \"Geeta always gives me an honest opinion of where I am going wrong.\"\n\nRetired with 417 Test wickets to his name\nHarbhajan Singh retired from international cricket in December 2022. He finished his career with 417 wickets in Test cricket and 269 wickets in ODIs.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. How did Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra's story begin?\nWhile in London, Harbhajan watched the song Woh Ajnabi from the film The Train on television and was struck by Geeta Basra, who appeared in it.\n\n2. How did Harbhajan get Geeta's phone number?\nHe spoke to his friend Yuvraj Singh and used his contacts in Bollywood to obtain Geeta's number.\n\n3. Why did Geeta not reply to Harbhajan's first message?\nThe article only states that Geeta did not take the star cricketer's message seriously at the time and never replied.\n\n4. How did the conversation between them restart?\nAfter Team India became T20 World Cup champions, Geeta herself called Harbhajan to congratulate him, which restarted their conversation.\n\n5. What did Geeta say when Harbhajan proposed the first time?\nShe turned down his first proposal, citing her Bollywood career.\n\n6. When did Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra get married?\nThey got married in October 2015 after nearly 7 years of dating.\n\n7. What are the names of the couple's children?\nThe couple has two children, daughter Hinaya Heer and son Jovan Veer Singh.\n\n8. What controversy occurred during the 2008 Sydney Test?\nHarbhajan and Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds got into an argument, and the Australian team accused Harbhajan of making a racial remark by calling him a monkey.\n\n9. What did Harbhajan do in the first IPL season that got him banned?\nAfter a match, he slapped bowler S. Sreesant on the field, leading to a ban for the entire season.\n\n10. When did Harbhajan Singh retire and what are his career figures?\nHe retired from international cricket in December 2022, finishing with 417 Test wickets and 269 ODI wickets.\n\nInspiration & Lessons\nHarbhajan Singh's story is not just about love, it is also about patience and self improvement.\n\n• Do not give up after rejection: Even after his first message went unanswered and his first proposal was turned down, Harbhajan kept trying and finally succeeded after nearly 7 years.\n• Have the courage to own your mistakes: After the Sreesant controversy, instead of making excuses, Harbhajan publicly apologised and admitted his mistake.\n• Choose a partner who is honest with you: Harbhajan has said Geeta always gave him an honest opinion of where he was going wrong, which helped him grow.\n• Change over time is possible: A cricketer once known for on field aggression and controversies became visibly calmer and more mature after Geeta came into his life.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/cricket/tivi-para-gana-dekha-geeta-basra-para-phida-hue-the-harbhajan-singh-shadi-taka-pahunchane-men-lage-pure-7-sala-4197",
  "category": "Cricket",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-02",
  "tags": [
    "Harbhajan Singh",
    "Geeta Basra",
    "cricket love story",
    "IPL controversy",
    "Andrew Symonds",
    "Sreesant controversy"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}