Harbhajan Singh Biography: He was one of the hardest players in Indian cricket, and he never enjoyed losing. The man who was never defeated. Yes, we are referring to Harbhajan Singh, the most famous spinning poster boy to come out of India. Several times, he led the spinning attack from the front, leading India to several spectacular victories. Here, we examine his motivational story.
In 1998, Harbhajan Singh took part in his debut test match against Australia. He has since gained recognition for his amazing bowling. His aggressive bowling style and on-field demeanor made a lot of batsmen shudder. Did you know that Harbhajan’s domestic career began as a batsman? But after the death of his first mentor, he turned to bowling.
Harbhajan Singh Biography
Early days
On July 3, 1980, in Jalandhar, Punjab, Harbhajan Singh Plaha was born to Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha and Avtar Kaur. His mother, Avtar Kaur, was a homemaker, while his father was a businessman who ran a factory that produced balls. There are five sisters in Harbhajan. Although he was destined to take over the family business, his father made him focus on cricket instead.
Bhajji was trained at Charanjit Singh Bhullar to become a batter before working with instructor Davinder Arora as a spin bowler. Following Bhullar’s passing, Harbhajan began focusing more on off-spin bowling. His father had always wanted his son to play for his country.
Domestic career
At the age of 15, Harbhajan Singh played his first competitive match for the Punjab Under-16s squad against Haryana in 1995. After taking 32 wickets and hitting 96 runs with his hands, he was asked to play for the national Under-19 young squad in an ODI against South Africa and was also picked for the North Zone Under-16s team.
Subsequently, Harbhajan received a promotion to the Punjab Under-19 team and debuted in the Ranji Trophy 1997–98 against Services. Later, in January 1998, Bhajji competed for India in the Under-19 World Cup.
International career
In the 1997 Test series, Harbhajan Singh was selected to play for the Indian Board President’s XI against Australia. He missed the first two tests because of his poor performance in the practice match. In the third Test, he made his debut for his country, taking just one wicket. In April, Harbhajan played his first ODI match in Sharjah against New Zealand.
Sourav Ganguly surprised him with a call, offering to take charge of Australia’s spin assault during the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Throughout the series, he took 32 wickets. Harbhajan Singh chose to postpone the World Cup 2003 despite suffering a finger ailment.
But when his condition deteriorated, he needed to have a significant operation, which kept him off the field for seven months.
He had inconsistent form following his injury. When Singh did not perform well at the 2007 World Cup, he was dropped. Singh had begun to struggle with his form in 2006. But he did contribute to India’s victory in the ICC World Twenty20. He demonstrated numerous game-winning performances over the season. He was unable to hold onto a regular berth in the Indian squad from 2007 to 2010. Because of his excellent bowling in the IPL, he was able to rejoin the 2011 World Cup team. However, he struggled with his play after the World Cup and was unable to maintain his spot in the Indian team.
Harbhajan Singh IPL
In the latter part of his career, Harbhajan experienced success in Indian cricket. Yes, we are referring to his IPL season. He was an indispensable piece of machinery for the Mumbai team, which had won the championship four times. Since 2008, Bhajji has started every game for the team and has even served as captain. In 2013, he took 24 wickets in one season. He got a contract with the Chennai Super Kings after being released by the Mumbai Indians after a ten-year affiliation. In the IPL, Harbhajan developed into a more economical spinner who took some early wickets.
Harbhajan Singh Stats
Bowling
| Format | M | Inn | B | Mdn | Runs | W | BB | Econ | Avg | SR | 4W | 5W |
| Test 1998–15 | 103 | 190 | 28580 | 870 | 13537 | 417 | 8/84 | 2.84 | 32.5 | 68.5 | 16 | 25 |
| ODI 1998–15 | 236 | 227 | 12479 | 83 | 8973 | 269 | 5/31 | 4.31 | 33.4 | 46.4 | 2 | 3 |
| T20I 2006–16 | 28 | 27 | 612 | 5 | 633 | 25 | 4/12 | 6.20 | 25.3 | 24.5 | 1 | 0 |
Batting
| Format | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Test 1998–15 | 103 | 145 | 23 | 2224 | 115 | 18.2 | 3432 | 64.8 | 2 | 9 | 277 | 42 |
| ODI 1998–15 | 236 | 128 | 35 | 1237 | 49 | 13.3 | 1526 | 81.1 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 35 |
| T20I 2006–16 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 108 | 21 | 13.5 | 87 | 124.1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
Harbhajan Singh In IPL
| Batting and Fielding | Mat | No | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | CT | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 163 | 37 | 833 | 64 | 15.71 | 604 | 137.91 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 42 | 49 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2* | – | 4 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 3 | 33.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | 29 | 19 | 9.66 | 36 | 80.55 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2017 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 7* | 8.00 | 16 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 14 | 4 | 92 | 45* | 30.66 | 84 | 109.52 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 15 | 3 | 117 | 64 | 16.71 | 73 | 160.27 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 2 | 28 | 10* | 5.60 | 25 | 112.00 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2013 | 19 | 8 | 116 | 25* | 19.33 | 79 | 146.83 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| 2012 | 17 | 2 | 108 | 33 | 12.00 | 80 | 135.00 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2011 | 15 | 5 | 103 | 30 | 34.33 | 71 | 145.07 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | 15 | 3 | 105 | 49* | 26.25 | 63 | 166.66 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | 2 | 84 | 20 | 10.50 | 53 | 158.49 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 28 | 15.00 | 17 | 176.47 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Bowling | Mat | Balls | Runs | WKTS | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 163 | 3,416 | 4,030 | 150 | 5/18 | 26.86 | 7.07 | 22.77 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 | 42 | 63 | 0 | 0/8 | – | 9.00 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 264 | 312 | 16 | 3/20 | 19.50 | 7.09 | 16.50 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 191 | 270 | 7 | 2/22 | 38.57 | 8.48 | 27.28 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 11 | 246 | 266 | 8 | 3/22 | 33.25 | 6.48 | 30.75 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 14 | 294 | 392 | 9 | 2/29 | 43.55 | 8.00 | 32.66 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 15 | 342 | 446 | 18 | 3/27 | 24.77 | 7.82 | 19.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 330 | 356 | 14 | 2/13 | 25.42 | 6.47 | 23.57 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 19 | 420 | 456 | 24 | 3/14 | 19.00 | 6.51 | 17.50 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 17 | 324 | 384 | 6 | 2/13 | 64.00 | 7.11 | 54.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 15 | 318 | 370 | 14 | 5/18 | 26.42 | 6.98 | 22.71 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 15 | 321 | 377 | 17 | 3/31 | 22.17 | 7.04 | 18.88 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | 264 | 256 | 12 | 4/17 | 21.33 | 5.81 | 22.00 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 3 | 60 | 82 | 5 | 3/32 | 16.40 | 8.20 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 |
Harbhajan Singh Controversies
Despite being considered one of India’s spin wizards, Harbhajan’s career was marred by numerous scandals. Following the dramatic 2005 altercation between Sourav Ganguly and coach Greg Chappell, Bhajji publicly criticized the latter and stood by his captain. According to Harbhajan, the camp was filled with “fear and insecurity” due to Chappell’s rigorous techniques. He became involved in another issue later in 2008, which was dubbed “Monkeygate.” After Harbhajan allegedly branded Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds a “monkey” and subjected him to racist abuse, he was charged with a Level 3 offense.
As previously stated, one of the best-known players in the IPL is Harbhajan. The 2008 season will always be associated with Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth. Following the Mumbai Indians (MI) vs. Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) game in Mohali, Bhajji, who was heading the MI, slapped Sreesanth. In addition to being suspended for the remaining games, he was fined his match money for the encounter.
Harbhajan Singh Wife – Geeta Basra
In 2015, Bollywood actress Geeta Basra and Harbhajan tied the knot. They have been blessed with a daughter, Hinaya.
Harbhajan Singh’s Net worth
Harbhajan’s professional career brought him a respectable salary. Despite being a well-known Indian athlete, he continues to promote other products. In addition, his estimated net worth in 2017 was Rs 69 crore. In 2018, the Mumbai Indians traded him to the Chennai Super Kings of the Indian Premier League for a sum of two crores. Regarding his passion for automobiles, Singh possesses a Hummer 4×4 multipurpose vehicle. In addition to this formidable SUV, he frequently drives a BMW and an Audi 7. He owns some real estate in Mumbai and lives in a posh part of Chandigarh.
Records and achievements
- Bhajji was the first Indian to bag a hat trick in Test cricket in 2001.
- He has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.
- Harbhajan was awarded with the Arjuna Award in 2003.
- In 2009, he was conferred the Padma Shri Award.
- He became the first no. 8 batsman to score back-to-back Test centuries.
- Harbhajan is the youngest Indian to claim 400 wickets in the history of the Test.
Lesser known facts about Harbhajan Singh
- In 2002, Harbhajan was offered the post of DSP in the Punjab Police.
- He initially trained as a batsman but later shifted to spin bowling.
- Punjab Da Puttar can eat endless aloo paranthas made by his mother with yogurt.
- In 2008, Bhajji took part in a dance reality show ‘Ek Haseena Ek Khiladi’ with tollywood actress Mona Singh.
- After his father’s death, he considered quitting cricket and moving to the USA to drive trucks for a living as he had to support his family.
- He appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling‘s Indian promotion, Ring Ka King.
Since 2016, Harbhajan has not worn the national jersey in any capacity, and his road to recovery appears to be a challenging one. He took a few steps to recover, but he was never able to guarantee a spot in the Indian squad. In the 2016 Asia Cup, he played his final international match against the United Arab Emirates. Even though he hasn’t declared retirement, his career is practically done. It will be quite difficult for Harbhajan to return given that the spin department is managed by Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and R Ashwin. Remember, people: there is very little chance of a comeback from him at 38.
