Harbhajan Singh Plaha born 3 July 1980 in Jalandhar, Punjab, India), commonly known as Harbhajan Singh,
is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner
, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan. Harbhajan made his Test and One Day International (ODI) debuts in
early 1998. His career was initially affected by investigations into the legality of his bowling action,
as well as several disciplinary incidents. However in 2001, with leading leg spinner Anil Kumble injured,
Harbhajan's career was resuscitated after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for his inclusion in the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. In that series victory over Australia, Harbhajan established himself as the
team's leading spinner by taking 32 wickets, becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Test cricket.
Early career
Harbhajan broke into the Punjab Under-16s at the age of 15 years and 4 months in November
of the 1995–96 season, and took 7/46 and 5/138 on debut against Haryana, setting up a nine-wicket win. He scored
56 in his next match against Delhi and then took 11/79 in his third match against Himachal Pradesh, orchestrating
an innings win. He ended with 32 wickets at 15.15 and 96 runs at 48.00 in four matches. He was rewarded with
selection for North Zone Under-16s, a team that represents all of northern India for a one-day series,
in which he took two wickets at 43.50 in four matches and scored 18 runs. At the end of the season,
he was called into the national Under-19 team at the age of 15 years and 9 months for a youth One Day International
against South Africa. He took 1/19 from seven overs in an Indian win.In 1996–97, Harbhajan was promoted to the
Punjab Under-19s and he took 15 wickets at 20.20 in three matches, although he managed only two runs with the
bat. This included match figures of 8/54 in an innings win over Jammu and Kashmir.Harbhajan made his first-class
cricket debut in late 1997 against Services, during the 1997–98 Ranji Trophy season. He took a total of 3/35 in an
innings win but was dropped back to the Under-19s the following week. He then took 5/75 and 7/44 in two matches to
earn a recall to the senior team. He then took a total of 7/123 in the next two matches for Punjab to earn selection
for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
Playing style
Harbhajan is an attacking-minded bowler who is regarded for his ball control and ability to vary his length and pace
, although he is often criticised for his flat trajectory. His main wicket-taking
ball climbs wickedly on the unsuspecting batsman from a good length, forcing him to alter his stroke at the last
second. With a whippy bowling action, he was reported for throwing in November 1998. Although forced to travel
to England for tests, his action was cleared by former English player Fred Titmus.
He has developed an ability to bowl the doosra, which was the subject of an official report by match referee
Chris Broad, on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Mark Benson, and TV umpire Mahbubur Rahman after the Second Test
between India and Bangladesh at Chittagong, Bangladesh in December 2004.The ICC cleared his action in
May 2005, saying that the straightening of his elbow fell within the permitted limits.Among off spinners,
Harbhajan is the second highest wicket-taker in Test history, behind Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
He is the third-highest Test wicket-taker among all Indians. Harbhajan average with the ball in home
Test matches hovers in the mid-20s. All five of his man of the match awards and both of his man of the
series awards have been obtained in India. Outside India, his bowling average climbs to around 40.
Statistically, his bowling in Test matches is most effective against the West Indies and Australia.
As of May 2008, his most productive hunting grounds have been Eden Gardens in Calcutta, where he has
taken 38 wickets at 23.10 in six Tests, while the Chepauk in Chennai, where he has claimed two man of
the match awards, has yield 34 wickets at 24.25 in five Tests. Harbhajan has claimed his wickets most
cheaply at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he has taken 22 wickets at 19. Compared to Muralitharan,
Harbhajan is less reliant on targeting the stumps for his dismissals; he captures more than 60% of
his wickets via catches and less than 25% by bowling or trapping batsmen leg before wicket, whereas
the corresponding figures for Muralitharan are in the 40s. Harbhajan's off spin complements
Kumble's leg spin. While Harbhajan is known for his emotional and extroverted celebrations, which are
part of a deliberate strategy of aggression, Kumble is known for his undemonstrative and composed approach.
Both spinners have opined that they bowl more effectively in tandem via persistent application of pressure
to batsmen, but statistics have shown that while Kumble has performed better when paired with Harbhajan,
Harbhajan has been more effective in Kumble's absence.Harbhajan has been particularly successful
against Australian batsman Ricky Ponting, taking his wicket on ten occasions in Test cricket.
In an interview in 2001, Harbhajan stated his ambition to become an all-rounder.Although he has recorded a
few half-centuries at Test level, his batting average hovers around 15 in both Tests and ODIs. However,
in the span of four years starting from 2003, he has shown improved performance, averaging around 20 with
the bat. His style is frequently described as unorthodox, with pundits agreeing with his self-assessment
attributing his batting achievements to his hand-eye coordination, rather than his footwork or technique
. The aggression in Harbhajan's bowling also extends to his batting, with a Test strike rate in the 60s,
placing him in the ten highest strike rates among players who have scored more than 1000 runs in Test cricket.
Harbhajan Singh Is also a useful lower-down the order batsman. For mumbai Indians he had made valuable 49 runs
of 18 balls to guide the MI to a seemingly impossible win over the DC. In the 2011 test, he also scored quickfire
70 of 72 balls to stabilise India's batting
Test wicket milestones
- 1st: Greg Blewett (Australia)
- 50th: Ricky Ponting (Australia)
- 100th: Wavell Hinds (West Indies)
- 150th: Nathan Astle (New Zealand)
- 200th: Charles Coventry (Zimbabwe)
- 250th: Ricky Ponting (Australia)
- 300th: Ricky Ponting (Australia)
- 350th: JP Duminy (South Africa)
- 400th: Carlton Baugh (West Indies)
)