Profile
Young Harbhajan Singh bolstered his credentials after a successful home series against Steve Waugh's invincible Australia in 2001. Replacing an injured Anil Kumble, 'Bhajji' was crowned 'Man of the Series' in performances that stopped Australia's record unbeaten run.
Prior to his ascendency during that series, Singh made a full international debut as a teenager in 1998. After a year in action, few noteworthy displays coupled with a suspect bowling action is all that emerged and he was eventually relegated to domestic cricket. His return after a 2 year hiatus was one filled with renewed determination, epitomizing captain Sourav Ganguly's fearlessness. Following his stand-out performance against Australia, he forced selectors to rethink India's bowling lineup by opting for a two-pronged spin attack in tandem with Anil Kumble. Rarely did his bowling fail to yield satisfactory results, often being the source of bulk wickets for India. He added further repute as a player with his pinch-hitting abilities as a tail-ender. Harbhajan continued to haunt Australia on their return tour to India with another 10-wicket haul at Bangalore in 2004, in a series which India eventually lost. He did face criticism from various circles for being too defensive, a flaw rectified by honing the skill to flight deliveries. Due to his short temper, controversies followed him. One such incident with Andrew Symonds gave rise to a misconstrued racism row. A run-in with Sreesanth in IPL 1 also saw Bhajji banned for the rest of the tournament. On the pitch, he was part of both India's failure in the 2007 World Cup and later its success in the ICC World T20.
Following spin ally Kumble's retirement from International cricket, the spin mantle was cast on Harbhajan especially in series abroad where India usually played with a single spinner. He stuck to his task in India's series victory in New Zealand in 2009, the country's first such win against the Kiwis for 40 years. In November 2010 he scaled an unprecedented summit in his batting career when he scored his maiden Test century against New Zealand, helping India to save a match that was slipping ominously out of its grip.
The transition from one spin legend in Kumble to a potential one in Harbhajan is credit in part to the selectors for having an eye on sustenance. But Harbhajan whose willingness to improve and his never-say-die spirit make him a player who fans love to praise and the opposition loves to despise.
Fast Facts
- Harbhajan is the fourth most successful Test spinner in the world behind Muralitharan, Warne and compatriot Kumble.
- He is also the 10th highest ODI wicket-taker among spinners.
- Overall, Harbhajan is the 5th highest wicket-taker in International cricket history.
- It took Harbhajan a total of 196 ODIs to reach a 1000 runs, the slowest as of 2009.
- He is the first Indian to take a hat-trick in Test cricket.
- His 32 wickets in the series against Australia in 2001 was most for any bowler.
- His best bowling figures of 15/217 in Tests against Australia in that series is the 12th highest overall in history and the second best for an Indian behind Narendra Hirwani's 16/136.
- He is the 12th fastest to reach 350 Test wickets.
- Harbhajan's 5 instances of 10 wicket hauls in Tests is second most for an Indian behind Kumble's 8.
- He is among the top 20 bowlers in Test history who have taken 4+ Test wickets in an innings. With 36 such instances, Harbhajan lies 16th in the list.
- He is only the 10th player in cricket history to take 350 wickets and score a century in Tests.
- He made history as the first number 8 batsman to score successive centuries, a feat which he achieved during New Zealand's 2010 tour of India.
Statistics
| Matches | Innings | Runs | NO | Avg. | SR | 100's | 50's | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 92 | 128 | 1969 | 21 | 18.40 | 65.41 | 2 | 8 |
| ODI | 212 | 112 | 1083 | 30 | 13.20 | 82.10 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 22 | 9 | 84 | 2 | 12 | 112 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 31 | 20 | 219 | 6 | 15.64 | 164.66 | 0 | 0 |
| CLT20 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 19 | 172.72 | 0 | 0 |
Career
Span:- Test:
- 1998-2010
- ODI:
- 1998-2010
- T20:
- 2006-2010
- IPL:
- 2008-2010
- CLT20:
- 2010-2010
- Test
- Debut:
- India Vs Australia at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Mar 25, 1998
- Last played:
- India Vs South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban - Dec 26, 2010
- ODI
- Debut:
- India Vs New Zealand at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah - Apr 17, 1998
- Last played:
- India Vs Sri Lanka at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Rangiri - Jun 24, 2010
- T20
- Debut:
- India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006
- Last played:
- India Vs Sri Lanka at Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia - May 11, 2010
- IPL
- Debut:
- Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Bombay) - Apr 20, 2008
- Last played:
- Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai - Apr 25, 2010
- CLT20
- Debut:
- Mumbai Indians Vs Highveld Lions at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Sep 10, 2010
- Last played:
- Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 19, 2010
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