Recapping Indian hat-tricks

Test Cricket:

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is easily one of India’s best spinners and has spun the web over many legendary batsmen. So it’s no surprise that he has recorded the first ever hat-trick by an Indian in Test matches.

Bhajji has always churned out special performances against the Australians and he achieved this feat in the first innings of the second Test of the ‘2001 Border-Gavaskar’ trophy in Kolkata. He accounted for the dismissals of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne and claimed his first 5-wicket haul during the course of his innings.

Since then there was no looking back for the wily ‘Sardar’ and he went to become an absolute legend of the game and one of the greatest modern-day cricketers, clinching more than 700 international wickets. His doosras and aggressive batting has garnered praise from all quarters and his indomitable spirit makes him an inspiration for many.

Irfan Pathan

When Irfan Pathan first broke into the international scene, he seemed to be the man who could solve India’s long term woe of not having a quality all-rounder in their ranks. He became the second bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match.

He attained this accomplishment in 2006 during the 3rd Test vs Pakistan in Karachi. Known for his prodigious swing, Pathan accounted for the wickets of heavyweights such as Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammed Yousuf.

With more than 250 international wickets, Pathan was a key member of the Indian outfit from 2005-2010. In a career full of ups and downs, Pathan was definitely more capable than what he served and will go down as an untapped talent who was marred by injuries and omissions.

However, this left-armer has a nerve of steel and has played a huge role in many memorable victories including the inaugural T20 World Cup final.