Harbhajan Singh
Country: India
Date of Birth: July 3, 1980
Place of Birth: Jalandhar, Punjab
Batting Style: Right Handed
Bowling Style: Off break
Skill: Bowler
Teams Played: Asia XI, India, Mumbai Indians
Batting Performance
| M | Inn | No | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s | Avg | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 83 | 114 | 20 | 1585 | 66 | 0 | 7 | 16.86 | 64.64 |
| ODI | 209 | 110 | 28 | 1061 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 12.94 | 81.55 |
| T20s | 22 | 9 | 2 | 84 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 112 |
| IPL | 31 | 20 | 6 | 219 | 49* | 0 | 0 | 15.64 | 164.66 |
Bowling & Fielding Performance
| M | Overs | Runs | Mdns | Wkts | Avg | Best | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 83 | 3900.1 | 10985 | 736 | 355 | 30.94 | 8/84 | 2.82 |
| ODI | 209 | 1821.5 | 7840 | 77 | 239 | 32.8 | 5/31 | 4.3 |
| T20s | 22 | 80 | 515 | 2 | 16 | 32.19 | 3/30 | 6.44 |
| IPL | 31 | 107.3 | 715 | 1 | 34 | 21.03 | 4/17 | 6.66 |
Career Performance
| First Match | Last Match | |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | March 25, 1998 v Australia at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore – Karnataka | February 14, 2010 v South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata (Calcutta) |
| ODIs | April 17, 1998 v New Zealand at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah | January 13, 2010 v Sri Lanka at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka |
| T20s | December 1, 2006 v South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | May 11, 2010 v Sri Lanka at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet – St Lucia |
| IPL | April 20, 2008 v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Bombay) | April 25, 2010 v Chennai Super Kings at Dr DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai |
Profile
A player who exudes passion and talent, Harbhajan Singh has come a long way in his cricketing career. An off-spinner with plenty of aggression and exuberance, he made his debut in 1998 against Australia as an 18-year-old. Although his first Test was uneventful, he has blossomed ever since.
‘Bhajji’, as he is fondly called, has a whiplash action but was forced to alter it after he was reported for throwing. He has superior control over the red cherry and cleverly varies his pace and length to fool the batsmen. Harbhajan also bowls the one that turns the other way and is called the ‘doosra’.
However, his main weapon has been the one that rises viciously on the unsuspicious batsman from a good length, compelling him to revise his stroke at the last second. Harbhajan’s claim to fame came in 2001, when he single-handedly powered India to a 2-1 series victory over Australia. He became the first Indian to clinch a hat-trick in Test cricket in the same series. He is rated by critics as one of the greatest spinners in Indian cricket.
After Anil Kumble’s retirement in late 2008, Bhajji took up the mantle as the frontline spinner in the side. He is also one of the most experienced bowlers in the side, along with Zaheer Khan. With the passage of time, he has also worked on his batting and coming in the lower order, Harbhajan loves to try his hand at scoring quick runs towards the death.
He remains India’s premier spinners in all three formats of the game and has displayed good all-round skills in the Indian Premier League for his Mumbai franchise.