Full name : Harbhajan Singh
Born : July 3, 1980, Jalandhar), Punjab
Current age : 28 years
Major teams : India, Asia XI, Lancashire, Mumbai Indians, Surrey
Batting style : Right-hand bat
Bowling style : Right-arm offbreak
Harbhajan Singh Latest Photos
Career statistics
Test debut India v Australia at Bangalore, Mar 25-28, 1998
Last Test New Zealand v India at Wellington, Apr 3-7, 2009
ODI debut India v New Zealand at Sharjah, Apr 17, 1998
Last ODI New Zealand v India at Auckland, Mar 14, 2009
T20I debut South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006
Last T20I Bangladesh v India at Nottingham, Jun 6, 2009
Twenty20 debut Kent v Surrey at Beckenham, Jun 22, 2005
Last Twenty20 Bangladesh v India at Nottingham, Jun 6, 2009
Profile
A player of passion, with talent to match, Harbhajan Singh is India's most successful offspin bowler. His main wicket-taking ball, however, is the one that climbs wickedly on the unsuspecting batsman from a good length, forcing him to alter his stroke at the last second. In March 2001, it proved too much for the all-conquering Australians, as Harbhajan collected 32 wickets in three Tests, including the first Test hat-trick by an Indian, while none of his team-mates managed more than three. He has never quite managed to reach those heights again, but he remains an irresistible force on home pitches where he can be unplayable once he manages an opening. Purists might mutter about a lack of loop and flight, but he is very much a
product of his times where short boundaries and heavy bats afford little latitude to slow bowlers.
His overseas record, despite two five-fors against West Indies in India's last tour there in 2006, remains a worry: he averages nearly 40 per wicket outside India, while at home he averages just over 25. He can be occasionally explosive with the bat and has scored 1000 runs. At 27, he remains the prime candidate to carry on India's rich legacy in spin after the the retirement of Anil Kumble. Harbhajan's rivalry with the Australians resulted in an on-field spat during Australia's tour of India in October 2007 but things boiled over in Sydney in January 2008 when Harbhajan was charged with racially abusing Andrew Symonds. He was given a three-Test ban but the charge was reduced, on appeal, to abuse and insult not amounting to racism and the ban was turned into a fine. In April that year, Harbhajan was involved in another controversy - this time with an Indian team-mate - when video evidence showed him slapping Sreesanth without any provocation after an IPL game in Mohali. He pleaded guilty at a hearing and was banned for 11 IPL matches.
