Harbhajan had played with a ruptured ligament for months

Harbhajan underwent surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his bowling hand in Melbourne on Friday.

India physio Andrew Leipus said the player would be in plaster for two weeks and need at least three months rehabilitation before bowling.

If he had had the operation after the World Cup this year he would have recovered by now.

I'm in good spirits. I can now look forward to recovery Harbhajan Singh

Instead, he spent months seeking cortisone injections and physiotherapy on the injury to the knuckle of his middle finger of his right hand.

"The finger was fine before he left India," Leipus said.

"But it flared up again after the first Test."

Despite the need for surgery now, Leipus said the decision to skip the operation in April was not necessarily the wrong one.

"It was a choice of conservative treatment versus an invasive surgical procedure with the associated risks," he said.

Harbhajan remains optimistic.