Good to have a nine-wicket haul: Harbhajan

New Delhi: Harbhajan Singh served a timely reminder to the national selection committee with a match haul of nine wickets in the opening Ranji Trophy encounter against Odisha in Mohali and the senior off-spinner is hoping to get better as the season progresses.

"It feels good to start off the season on a positive note. I hope to get better with each and every match from here," Harbhajan told PTI from Mohali. Harbhajan finished with match figures of nine for 137, including a six-wicket haul in the fist innings at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. "Obviously it acts as a confidence booster when you get five wickets in an innings. What makes me happier is the fact that I have been able to bowl 54 overs in the match. As I have always maintained that longer I will bowl the better I will get. It was a good wicket to bowl in Mohali," the 34-year-old, who has played 101 Test matches, said. Punjab notched up an innings and 48-run victory over Odisha with a bonus point in a group A match. Harbhajan, who led North Zone in the Duleep Trophy unfortunately missed out on crucial match time as both the semifinal and the final were rained out. This was ideally his first longer-format game in as many as eight months where he got a chance to bowl substantial amount of overs. For the national selectors, Harbhajan`s performance would surely keep them interested with a long season ahead. "The ball came out well off my hand and the feel was good."