Harbhajan Singh is another prime example of the modern day Indian cricketer. A player full of passion, with talent to match. A player with a fire in his belly, aggressive and fiery, and with a will to perform. An off spinner, he had big shoes to fill, for we were all too many times reminded of the golden generation of Indian spinners, and fill them to perfection he did, earning himself the title of India’s most successful off spinner ever.
Harbhajan made his debut as a relative unknown in 1998, and the youngster suffered a huge setback as he was reported for throwing. It is said that adversity brings out the best from a person and it couldn’t be more true than in his case. Singh was dropped from the national side. What followed was a lengthy remodeling process. But he was still unable to get a call back to the main team. On the personal front, his father died, leaving him to support his family and at times he contemplated quitting cricket. But like many other contemporary stories, his story has been of a successful second coming, returning wiser, more mature and a lot more lethal.
The Turbunator returned entrusted with leading the spin attack against the all conquering Aussies in the Border Gavaskar trophy. And it was here that Harbhajan lived his finest hour. With a record haul of 32 wickets including a hat trick, Harbhajan got the man of the series in one of the best series wins for India.
Since then, With 19 5WI’s and 4 10WI’s to his credit, Harbhajan has solidified his place in the Indian squad, taking over the position of India’s lead spinner from Kumble. Though he has not faired well on foreign tracks, he remains an unplayable enigma on Inidian pitches, his flamboyant style always adding life to those matches.
Harbhajan gained great grit and determination during those tough days, qualities that help him in every match as he tediously and cunningly plots ways to get batsmen out. Blessed with superb control, his deliveries are bowled with a whiplash action, with less flight than normal. Describes as an aggressive spinner in a classical mould, Harbhajan’s arsenal lies in his varying line and length; his main weapons being the straighter one, and the one that climbs unsuspectingly at the batsman from good length.
‘Bhajji’ as he is affectionately called, is known for his explosive cameos with the bat as well. He describes himself as a lower middle order batsman, underlining the fact that his batting is something that he considers seriously and his wicket is not cheap. A fun character to have around in the dressing room, he lightens up the mood with his jokes and has a melodious voice as well. But this fiery and self confident Sikh has attracted his own share of controversy as well. A Ganguly supporter, he spoke out publicly against the coach after the former captain was unceremoniously sacked. He has often attracted the ire of officials for disciplinary conduct. The Royal Stag turban issue and the Guwahati police scuffle are a few other such incidents.
Harbhajan possesses great skill with the ball and can be explosive with the bat as well. Whether he is able to channel his energy towards the right directions and regain the spinning heights he once reached, remains to be seen. But aged 26, he is the main candidate to carry on India’s rich spin legacy after the retirement of the likes of Kumble.
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