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New Delhi - Indian cricket star Harbhajan Singh was among thousands of people stranded by flash floods and landslides in the country's north that have left more than 100 people dead.
The 32-year-old was taking part in a pilgrimage to a Sikh shrine in the northern state of Uttarakhand when torrential rains forced him to take shelter in a police centre.
Singh, India's most successful offspin bowler, said on Wednesday he believed he was "saved by God" after seeking refuge in the centre.
"I came to undertake the pilgrimage, to seek blessings. We've been here for the past few days due to the rain," Singh said at the police centre in the pilgrimage town of Joshimath.
"Some people are saying that we're stuck but I wouldn't say that we're stuck, I'd say we've been saved by God.
"With the kind of rainstorm we witnessed, anything could have happened. Many people lost their lives. We're fortunate to be in the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) centre."
Singh said he would try to undertake the pilgrimage to the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara another time.
"I don't know if I'll be able to pay my respects at the shrine this time but I will try to do the pilgrimage next time. Everything happens for a good reason."
Media reports said on Thursday that Singh had been flown out of the flood-hit region by the Indian air force.
Thousands of Indian soldiers battled on Thursday to reach villages and towns cut off by flash floods and landslides in the country's north as officials warned at least 1,000 people may have been killed.
