100 Tests and still counting for Harbhajan Singh

There are very few cricketers about whom opinions are as polarized as they about Harbhajan Singh. While many erudite cricketing brains believe that the Jalandhar lad is still the best spinner in India and should be a regular in the Indian team, there are some who feel he is well past his prime and isn’t half the bowler he once was. While many revere him as a patriotic fellow and a fierce competitor, there are some who think of him as nothing more than an ‘obnoxious weed’.

Cricketers do have their ups and downs but for none have the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ been so exaggerated. Battling through the thick and thin, the Turbanator has gone a long way since debuting as a 17-year-old against Australia at Bangalore and when he steps out against Australia at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai on Friday, he will become only the tenth Indian cricketer to reach the 100 Test milestone.

Incidentally, 12 years ago, it was on this very ground against the same opponents that Harbhajan saw his finest hour as a bowler. Having claimed 13 wickets to script a turnaround of mammoth proportions in Kolkata in the previous Test, Harbhajan went on to better his efforts at Chepauk with a 15 wicket haul and lead India to a memorable 2-1 series win.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since those magic days and the once match winner is now struggling to find a place in the playing XI. During the third Test against West Indies in July 2011, Harbhajan became only the 11th man in Test cricket history to register 400 dismissals and one had a feeling that the milestone would spur the off-spinner on to greater deeds. But injury and a dip in form took its toll and since then Bhajji, as he is known, has participated in only 3 of the 17 Tests featuring India.

They say statistics don’t lie and Harbhajan’s impact on bowling India to victory is quite evident. With 216 wickets in 40 matches at 22.34 apiece, he is India’s second most successful bowler in wins, behind only Anil Kumble. But statistics also say that he has the worst average and strike rate among the bowlers with more than 400 wickets. He is, in fact, the most criticized bowler in the 400 wickets club. It’s more like the critics are frustrated at Harbhajan for not being able to deliver on his promises.

According to experts, there are many reasons for his downfall. Lack of patience, not giving the ball enough air, being content to just dart it on the leg stump. But the encouraging factor is that he acknowledges the fact that he has erred in recent times and being just 32 years old, he still has a lot to offer in the international arena. In fact, a closer look at the careers of Kumble, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan would suggest that he is at an age where spinners, after gaining experience, tend to reach their peaks.

Harbhajan, along with VVS Laxman, will also become only the second Indian to reach 100 Tests without captaining the side even once. Given his outspoken nature and way he wears his heart on his sleeve, one doubts if he would have made a good captain.

While he is nowhere on the horizon as far as captaining the team is concerned, he can still play an important role in leading the spin department. With the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha struggling to make a serious impact against quality opposition, Harbhajan, with his vast experience, can certainly guide them at becoming better at their craft, much in the same way as Zaheer Khan has led the pace department.

Many years ago, in 2001, it was a rookie Harbhajan Singh, with a point to prove, who announced himself on the world stage by completely demolishing Steve Waugh’s all-conquering Australian side in Kolkata and Chennai. Now he is in Chennai again, against another Australian team, albeit a much less experienced one, looking to rediscover his mojo and resurrect his career.

Life has indeed come a full circle for the Turbanator.