Today is Harbhajan Singh’s birthday. He was born on July 3, 1980. As one of India’s best spinners, Harbhajan, the Turbanator had a great career playing for India.
He played all formats and was part of the MS Dhoni led teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa and 2011 World Cup. Harbhajan was also instrumental in India’s rise in Test cricket in early 2000s, especially in the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. With Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath injured, Harbhajan bowled well and took 32 wickets. India won that series 2-1.
Harbhajan Singh’s Career Stats
Harbhajan started as a talented teenager from Punjab. People noticed how much spin he could get on his balls. His unique bowling style tricked many batsmen with his drift and turn.
Before he turned 18, Harbhajan played for Punjab in Ranji Trophy. He soon moved to the Indian team, made his debut in 1998 Bangalore Test against Australia. In his nearly 20 year career, Harbhajan played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is for India. He took 417 wickets in Tests, 269 in ODIs and 25 in T20Is. Harbhajan took 5 wickets in an innings 28 times, 25 times in Tests. His best performance was 8 for 84 against Australia. He played 163 IPL games for different teams and took 150 wickets with an economy rate of 7.07.
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Harbhajan Singh’s Five Best Bowling Performances
- 6/73 vs Australia, Kolkata Test 2001: Harbhajan’s six for 73 on the last day of the 2001 Kolkata Test helped India win. He took 13 wickets in the match, including a hat-trick in the first innings, becoming the first Indian to take three wickets in a row in a Test match.
- 8/84 vs Australia, Chennai Test 2001: Harbhajan bowled even better in the deciding Test in Chennai, taking 8 for 84. This was his best performance and helped India win against Steve Waugh’s Australian team.
- 5/13 vs West Indies, Jamaica Test 2006: With the series tied 0-0, Harbhajan took 5 wickets for just 13 runs in the fourth Test against West Indies in Jamaica. He helped India bowl out the hosts for 103 after India scored 200 in the first innings. This gave India a 97-run lead and helped them win the Test series, only their second in the Caribbean.
- 5/31 vs England, Delhi ODI 2006: Harbhajan’s best ODI performance came in Delhi against England, where he took 5 for 31. He also scored 37 runs in a low-scoring game and helped Rahul Dravid’s team take a 1-0 lead in the series.
- 4/12 vs England, Colombo T20I 2012: Harbhajan’s best T20I figures came in a group match of the 2012 T20 World Cup against England. He took 4 wickets for just 12 runs and won the match by 90 runs.
