INDIA
Full name - Harbhajan Singh
Born - July 3, 1980, Jullundur (now Jalandhar), Punjab
Current age - 26 years 140 days
Major teams - India, Punjab, Surrey
Batting style - Right-hand bat
Bowling style - Right-arm offbreak
Statsguru - Test player, ODI player
| BATTING AND FIELDING AVERAGES |
| class |
mat |
inns |
no |
runs |
hs |
ave |
bf |
sr |
100 |
50 |
4s |
6s |
ct |
st |
| Tests |
57 |
79 |
18 |
986 |
66 |
16.16 |
1451 |
67.95 |
0 |
2 |
142 |
16 |
30 |
0 |
| ODIs |
137 |
70 |
21 |
667 |
46 |
13.61 |
811 |
82.24 |
0 |
0 |
57 |
16 |
40 |
0 |
| First-class |
112 |
147 |
33 |
2210 |
84 |
19.38 |
|
|
0 |
6 |
|
|
57 |
0 |
| List A |
178 |
97 |
28 |
938 |
46 |
13.59 |
|
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
59 |
0 |
| Twenty20 |
8 |
3 |
1 |
11 |
6 |
5.50 |
12 |
91.66 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
| class |
mat |
balls |
runs |
wkts |
bbi |
bbm |
ave |
econ |
sr |
4 |
5 |
10 |
| Tests |
57 |
15162 |
7108 |
238 |
8/84 |
15/217 |
29.86 |
2.81 |
63.70 |
5 |
19 |
4 |
| ODIs |
137 |
7369 |
5022 |
162 |
5/31 |
5/31 |
31.00 |
4.08 |
45.48 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| First-class |
112 |
27039 |
12773 |
467 |
8/84 |
|
27.35 |
2.83 |
57.89 |
|
30 |
5 |
| List A |
178 |
9419 |
6416 |
215 |
5/31 |
5/31 |
29.84 |
4.08 |
43.80 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
| Twenty20 |
8 |
138 |
152 |
4 |
2/22 |
2/22 |
38.00 |
6.60 |
34.50 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| CAREER STATISTICE |
 |
| |
| Test debut |
India v Australia at Bangalore - Mar 25-28, 1998 |
| Last Test |
West Indies v India at Kingston - Jun 30-Jul 2, 2006 |
| ODI debut |
India v New Zealand at Sharjah - Apr 17, 1998 |
| Last ODI |
India v Australia at Chandigarh - Oct 29, 2006 |
| First-class span |
1997/98 - 2006 |
| List A span |
1997/98 - 2006/07 |
| Twenty20 span |
2005 |
Wisden overview
A player of passion, with talent to match, Harbhajan Singh is India's most successful offspin bowler. Bowling with a windmilling, whiplash action, remodelled after he was reported for throwing, he exercises great command over the ball, has the ability to vary his length and pace, and can turn it the other way too. 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 nearly 1000 runs. At 26, he remains the prime candidate to carry on India's rich legacy in spin after the the retirement of Anil Kumble.
(Sambit Bal) July 2006
