Birthday special: Harbhajan Singh's top three bowling performances in Test cricket

Third Test - India v South Africa: Day 3

One of the all-time great off-spinners, Harbhajan Singh celebrates his 42nd birthday today (June 3).

Harbhajan, famously known as the 'Turbanator', established himself as one of the game's best spinners through his stellar performances and bucketful of wickets. He made his debut in international cricket against a team he will enjoy a lot of success against, Australia, way back in 1998 in a Test match. Harbhajan's final international appearance was a T20 against the UAE during the 2016 Asia Cup in Dhaka.

With 413 Test scalps, Bhajji ranks third on the list of most successful Indian bowlers in Tests and stands at 15th in the overall list of highest wicket-takers in the longer version of the game. While in the one-day format, he has 269 wickets in 237 outings. This makes him the fifth most successful Indian ODI bowler.

As the veteran celebrates his birthday today, we take a look at three of his best bowling spells in red-ball cricket.

#3. 7-133 & 8-84 vs Australia, Chennai in 2001

Australia’s tour of India in 2001 was memorable in many ways. Harbhajan Singh’s exceptional performance was one of the reasons behind the same.

Matthew Hayden punished the Indian bowlers in the first innings of the Chennai Test, slamming a 320-ball 203. But Harbhajan stayed safe from this onslaught as his wily spin captured seven Australian scalps for 133 runs, while also dismissing the brutal Hayden as India managed to contain the visitors for 391.

In repy, India posted a mammoth 501, courtesy a century by Sachin Tendulkar (126).

Harbhajan ripped apart the famed Aussie batting line-up in the 2nd innings as well. In what remains his career-best test figures, the right-armer picked up 8 for 84, including the crucial scalps of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and the Waugh brothers. With Harbhajan bringing his ‘A’ game to the fore, India won the series-decider by two wickets.

#2. 7-48 vs West Indies, Mumbai in 2002

Harbhajan Singh celebrates Tudor wicket India v Aust X.jpg

West Indies toured India in 2002 for a three-match Test series. The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai hosted the first Test, where Indian batters dominated and piled up 457 in the first innings.

In reply, Zaheer Khan (4 for 41) and Anil Kumble (4 for 51) dismissed the Windies for a paltry 157.

When made to follow on, Harbhajan inflicted further humiliation on the visitors. He breathed fire and no Caribbean batter succeeded in reading him. He took 7 for 48 in one of his best bowling performances, ripping apart the Windies batting line-up as India won by an innings and 112 runs.

#1. 7-123 & 6-73 vs Australia, Eden Gardens in 2001

Prior to the Test at Kolkata in 2001, Harbhajan had been overlooked for a long time by national selectors. It took a lot of persuasion from then skipper Sourav Ganguly for the selectors to finally give him the nod.

In the 1st Test of the series against Australia, Harbhajan showed promise but couldn't stop India from being shamed to a 10-wicket loss at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. It was a make-or-break scene for the youngster in the second Test.

But Harbhajan chose this occasion to make his mark in one of the greatest Test matches ever played. Harbhajan picked up a whopping seven wickets in the first innings to stop Australia at 445-10. En route to his 7-123 he also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Tests as he showed Ponting, Gilchrist and Warne the door in succession.

However, in their first innings, the hosts were skittled out for just 171 before Australia enforced a follow-on. Following on, VVS Laxman scored a sublime career-best 281, aided with Rahul Dravid's 180 to post a mammoth 657/7 when skipper Ganguly decided to declare.

With a target of 383 runs in sight, some Aussie fans rooted for them to chase it down. However, Harbhajan put all Australian ambitions to bed as he took figures of 6 for 73 and India went on to register a 171-run win. The off-spinner managed a career-high scalp tally of 15 for 217, solidifying his spot in the Indian team for many more years.

About the author

Naman has been a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda since the past 3.5 years, specializing in penning down insightful listicles. He holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has always had immense passion for cricket, eventually choosing to cover the sport professionally. His exploits in this field have led him exclusively cover several World Cup and IPL matches.

A school-level cricketer, a 10-year-old Naman's love for the sport blossomed after watching each and every game of the 2011 ICC World Cup. He is a huge Team India supporter along with IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, and his all-time favorite cricketer is Jasprit Bumrah. Naman believes that Bumrah is by far the best bowler in the current generation of cricketers and is in a league of how own, and also loves his humbleness off the field.

As a cricket lover himself, Naman places a high emphasis in writing accurate and relevant information since he covers a lot of statistics-based articles. When not watching or writing about cricket, Naman likes to play other sports and spend time with his family.

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Edited by S Chowdhury