Harbhajan Singh Biography:
Harbhajan Singh or the Turbanator, as we all know him has been a prominent name in the game of cricket since his debut, a result of his uncanny bowling action and the aggression he possessed in his bowling.
He is one of the best off-spin bowlers, this beautiful game has ever witnessed. Apart from being a great bowler, he used to wham the bowlers, batting lower down the order.
This Biography covers the journey of our own Turbanator.
Harbhajan Singh Family:
Harbhajan Singh whose full name is Harbhajan Singh Plaha was born on 3rd July 1980 in Jalandhar, Punjab. His father, Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha, was a Businessman and Bhajji was all set to inherit his family business, as he was the only son in his family.
Which consisted of his father, mother, and five sisters, but his father being a cricket lover and seeing the spark in him told him to concentrate on his cricket and represent India one day. Unfortunately, his father died in 2000 and was not there to witness the humongous success of his son.
Harbhajan married his wife, Geeta Basra, in 2015 Geeta Basra and Harbhajan Singh got blessed with his baby girl, Hinaya in 2016, who is currently 3-years old.
Key Points:
- On 3rd July 1980, Harbhajan Singh was born.
- His father’s name is Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha.
- Harbhajan Singh has five sisters.
- In 2015 Harbhajan Singh Married Geeta Basra.
- In 2016 Harbhajan Singh was blessed with a baby girl named Hinaya.
Harbhajan Singh Career:
Bhajji in his illustrious playing career represented team India in all the format of the games and in his career he has won the 2007 T20 World cup and 2011 World cup with the squad.
Early Career:
The story of Harbhajan Singh is not the one where he first struggled to break through into the world of cricket, and then with his sheer hard work, he went on to play for India.
Everyone from the beginning knew about his bowling capabilities and his brilliant performances since his adult age suggested the same. He had the class of destroying the opposition single-handedly since childhood, which he went on to show for India as well.
A bowler is his own captain. I know what needs to be done, what the ball is doing. If you don’t know where you are going to bowl and where you think the batsman will hit, then how can you tell the captain what you want? You are the judge.
But, the story of Harbhajan began when he got his first break, as he was selected for the Punjab Under-16 at a tender age of 15, he entered the world of cricket with a bang, as he took a 5-wicket haul in both innings of his debut match against Haryana.
He continued his brilliant run of form, as he scored a half-century in his next match against Delhi and tore apart the Himachal Pradesh batting line-up with his bowling brilliance and picked up a total of 11 wickets in a single match.
After his consistent string of performances, he was selected to represent North Zone (Under-16) team in a one-day series where his form was struck by the law of averages, and he took only 2 wickets.
Later, he was selected to play for the National One-Day Under-19 team against South Africa in the same year at a meager age of 15.
Then, cricket player Harbhajan Singh was selected for Punjab (Under-19) team, where he again impressed with an eight-wicket haul against Jammu and Kashmir, taking his tally to a total of 15 wickets in 3 matches, Gradually it was a leap time in Harbhajan Singh Biography, and because of his wonderful performance, Harbhajan Singh team won the match.
In the 1997/98 season of Ranji Trophy, he made his debut in first-class cricket against Services, but unfortunately was dropped back to the Under-19s team, but that did not hinder the confidence of Bhajji as he again proved his worth, with a fifer in both innings in his Under-19s.
Then, again he was promoted back to senior level First-Class cricket. After this break, his career graph went only in the direction of success and he never looked back.
He broke into the team of North Zone in Duleep trophy, but his season went onto a halt, as he got a call to represent India in the Under-19 World Cup where he took 8 wickets in 5 matches.
After, a successful world cup and his unmatchable performances in Ranji Trophy, he earned a call to represent the Indian Cricket Team in a bilateral away series against Australia in Australia in 1999.
A bowler is his own captain. I know what needs to be done, what the ball is doing. If you don’t know where you are going to bowl and where you think the batsman will hit, then how can you tell the captain what you want? You are the judge.
Team India only played with one spinner in the Test matches and Anil Kumble was preferred over him in the playing 11 due to the pacer friendly conditions of Australia and the experience of Anil Kumble and the off-break bowler never got a chance to play for India.
Later, He was left out of the Indian ODI team, and went back to the domestic circuit and performed well and was selected to play for Board President’s XI against Australia and performed relatively well with 5 wickets and some runs to add to it and then was selected for training in the National Cricket Academy, but was expelled due to his unacceptable disciplinary behavior.
This unacceptable behavior was a major dent for his hopes of representing India again as he was overlooked for matches against Zimbabwe and Kenya. But, this never affected his domestic performances in Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy and continued to take wickets and also improved his batting skills too.
Key Points:
- Harbhajan Singh got his first break in Punjab Under 116 team.
- Harbhajan Singh made his debut against Haryana and picked up 5 wickets.
- In a match against Himachal Pradesh, he picked up 11 wickets in a single match.
- He also played the National One-Day Under-19 team against South Africa.
- For Punjab Under 19 team he took a total of 8 wickets against the Jammu team.
- In the 1997/98 season of Ranji Trophy, Harbhajan Singh made his debut.
Test Career:
Harbhajan Singh first match for the men in Blues against the Mighty Australians when he was just 17 years old in march 1998, were in that match he managed to take only two wickets and did not manage to concrete his spot in the team.
His career went up and down during 1999-2001 as he was called for India but was never able to perform well in the International spectrum. Finally, in the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
A bowler is his own captain. I know what needs to be done, what the ball is doing. If you don’t know where you are going to bowl and where you think the batsman will hit, then how can you tell the captain what you want? You are the judge.
Harbhajan Singh was called back by the then captain Saurav Ganguly, to lead the Indian spin attack. Australia had not won a series on Indian soil since 1969 and was looking to overcome the stat. Australia crushed India, in the first match of series but Harbhajan Singh Cricketer managed to pick up five wickets in the match.
Then came the match, which was going to change the cricketing career of Bhajji forever, which is still India’s most cheered and cherished win against Australia at Eden Gardens.
India was forced to follow-on after Australia scored 445 in the first innings, where Harbhajan claimed 7 wickets, including a test hat-trick, becoming the first Indian to do so in test match cricket.
But then the dynamic duo of Laxman and Dravid came to India’s rescue with a 376-run partnership and gave a target of 384 to the mighty Aussies, and the Aussies were heading for a draw.
Then the Turbanator came back into the attack in the final session of the test match and took four wickets, picking a total of 6 wickets in the second innings, and lead India to its most memorable victory.
Harbhajan came haunting back to the Australians in the Chennai test as he became the reason for another Australian collapse and took 6-wicket haul and 7-wicket haul in the first and second innings.
Sometimes I just get over-excited. I see the pitch and I think, ‘I have to get this wicket.’ When I am just looking to bowl, I am calm and composed, and most of the time I get it right. The ball lands where I want it to.
Also, he scored the winning runs, to take India to a memorable series win against the best team of the world on home soil. The doors of International cricket had officially and finally opened, and a new chapter began for the legend.
Bhajji’s journey was full of ups and downs, but, he never failed to impress on and off the field, with his performance, aggression and his unique style of bowling. He had rooted his spot in the Indian test team but was not able to convert it in the ODIs, until a later stage in his career.
In the year 2010 against Harbhajan Singh Century was scored in Ahmedabad in the first test and in the second test also he was managed to score a century in Hyderabad.
Harbhajan Singh in his test career he played a total of 103 Test matches for India picking up a total of 417 wickets and 2225 runs including 2 centuries.
Key Points:
- In march 1998 Harbhajan Singh made his debut for the team against Australia.
- His career went up and down during 1999-2001.
- Harbhajan Singh is the first Indian bowler to have a hat trick to his name.
- 2001 Test Series VS Australia Is one of his favorites series.
- In 2010 against New Zealand Harbhajan Singh scored his first century in the test format.
- He has represented team India in more than 100 matches.
ODI career:
Indian Cricketer Harbhajan Singh ODI journey started after he got his first test cap for the team against Australia just one month after that in a match against New Zealand, but in this format of the game also Harbhajan Singh was not able to manage to change his fate he just manages to take one wicket from that match and he got left out from the team with 18 wickets in 13 matches.
After his impressive test records in the 2001 test series against Australia opens the door for him in the One Day international team after more than two years.
Sometimes I just get over-excited. I see the pitch and I think, ‘I have to get this wicket.’ When I am just looking to bowl, I am calm and composed, and most of the time I get it right. The ball lands where I want it to.
Though he was unable to recapitulate his test form in the ODI series against Australia and in that series his best was 3 wickets haul by giving 37 in a118 runs match win and also he showcased his batting skills as well by scoring 46 runs in just 34 balls with three sixes in that innings.
After that Harbhajan Singh manages to get in the team when team India tour to South Africa, where he took nine wickets at 20.44 in six matches with an economy of 3.53, and in that series, he won his first man of the match award in South Africa against South Africa after taking 3 wickets by giving only 27 runs in a match.
Harbhajan Singh got a place in the team in 2002 ICC Champions trophy at Sri Lanka, in that tournament Harbhajan Singh manages to collect six Wickets at 30.66 at an economy of 3.68.
Later in the following year, he was the part of World cup 2003 Indian Squad, and in the world cup, Harbhajan manages to collect eleven wickets for the team with an economy of 3.92 in just ten matches, at that time he was the first choice spinner for the India team and played all the matches for the team except the group match against Pakistan.
For me, making my intent clear to the batsman before he stamps his authority is important. Playing with his mind is a way of attacking rather than setting attacking fields.
In the 2007 World cup also Harbhajan started as the first choice Indian spinner against Bangladesh under the captaincy Rahul Dravid, but in his first match he did not manage to take any single wicket of the counterparts and as a result, in the second match he got replaced by Kumble.
In the year 2011 world cup squad, Harbhajan Singh was one of the most instrumental bowlers for the team India, Harbhajan Singh in 2011 World cup manages to take 10 wickets for the team India in nine matches and helped the team to win the silverware for the first time after 28 years in the home soil.
Harbhajan Singh Biography elucidates that in his career he has played a total of 236 ODI matches picking up 269 wickets and scoring 1237 runs in his career.
Key Points:
- Harbhajan Singh made his ODI debut against New Zealand.
- Harbhajan Singh won his first man of the match award against South Africa.
- His first major ODI tournament was the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy.
- He was also a member of the 2003 world cup squad.
- He has won the 2011 ICC Cricket world cup with the team.
- Harbhajan Singh was one of the instrumental roles in the 2011 world cup.
- In his career, he has played more than 200 ODI matches for the Indian national team.
Harbhajan Singh T20 Career:
Harbhajan Singh cricket player started his T20 career in the year 2006 month of December against South Africa in South Africa at Johannesburg.
Harbhajan Singh has also been the part of team India’s 2007 World cup glory in South Africa, many senior cricketers opted out from this tournament and team India participated in the tournament with the young player and Dhoni was named captain for the squad.
Either you face the challenges in life head on or back out. And I am not someone to back out from challenges.
Harbhajan Singh played all the six matches for the Men In Blues and took a total of seven wickets at 26.00 and an economy of 7.91, in the opening match against Pakistan Harbhajan Singh hits the stums in a bowl out against Pakistan and team India won the match by 3-0 after the bowl out.
In the 2007 T20 world cup semi-final Harbhajan Singh took the wicket of dangerous Micheal Clarke and only gave three runs in the final over of the innings, it was the first major trophy in Harbhajan Singh Biography.
Harbhajan Singh has also been the part of the 2009 T20 world cup squad where team India tried to defend their crow though unfortunately, they lost all the three matches in the super8s round and failed to defend it.
He also represented India, in the T20s playing a total of 28 matches and picking 25 wickets, in his short T20I career.
Key Points:
- He made his T20 debut against South Africa in 2006.
- Harbhajan Singh was part of the team India’s 2007 world cup glory.
- Harbhajan Singh played all the T20 matches in that year.
- He was also a part of the 2009 T20 world cup squad.
- In his career, he has played a total of 28 T20 matches for team India.
IPL career:
Harbhajan Singh IPL journey started with the Mumbai Indians and Harbhajan Singh Mumbai Indias debut was made against a Royal Challengers Bangalore.
with his brilliant performance he has become a regular face for the Mumbai Indians team, he was one of the integral members for the Mumbai Indians till the year 2017 and later on 2018 IPL auction Chennai Super Kings brought him for Rs 2 crore.
Later he continued to be a part until 2018 when Chennai Super Kings bought him to play for them, and Harbhajan Singh CSK career started, In his prolonged IPL career.
He has participated in 160 matches and scalped 150 wickets for them with a good economy of 7.05, In his IPL career his best bowling figures are five wickets by giving just 18 runs, and with the bat, he has scored a total 829 runs with an impressive striker rate of 137.22.
Cricket is my passion; it is my first love. So I will not act in my movies, as they will just be a side business for me.
Harbhajan Singh Highest score in IPL, he scores of 64 runs he was scored against Kxip IN 2017.
Harbhajan Singh is the only second player to win IPL 4 times {3-Mumbai Indians(2013,2015,2017), 1-Chennai Super Kings(2018).
Key Points:
- Harbhajan Singh made his debut for the Mumbai Indians in IPL.
- He played his first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
- Harbhajan Singh won the IPL crown 4 times. ( 3 Times with MI, 1 time with CSK).
- Harbhajan Singh’s highest score in IPL is 64 against KXIP.
- In IPL he has more than 150 wickets to his name.
Harbhajan Singh Retirement:
Harbhajan Singh last Match he played against South Africa in October 2015, where South Africa posted a humongous total of 438/4 with AB De Villiers and Q. De Kock scoring blistering centuries and India lost the match by more than 150 runs and the series too(3-2).
Harbhajan Singh: Post-retirement:
The trivia about the man is that he has still not officially retired from international cricket, but there were rumors in October 2019 of his retirement as to take part in England’s “The Hundred” list.
Currently, Harbhajan Singh is working as a commentator, mainly for Star Sports India, and is seen and heard giving his commentaries in various matches, and Harbhajan Singh has also been a part of some reality shows as well.
Harbhajan Singh Controversies:
Harbhajan Singh Biography is full with some of the memorable controversies that he has made during his playing time, Bhajji has always been a brilliant player all his career, but he is also a real character on the field too and it is a treat to watch him, every time he plays on the national or international stature. Some of the incidents which became the hallmark of his career include:
The New Zealand Tour incident of 2006, where he was carrying a pair of dirty and smelly socks and was fined 200$, for doing so, according to the laws of New Zealand
Cricket is my passion; it is my first love. So I will not act in my movies, as they will just be a side business for me.
The “Monkey” incident including him and Andrew Symonds, in the controversial 2008 Commonwealth Test Series.
The Slap incident, where Sreeshant and Harbhajan Singh exchanged some words between them in a heated match and then he slapped Sreesanth, and Sreesanth went into tears after Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians in the first season of IPL.
Harbhajan Singh v. Shoaib Akhtar (Asia Cup, 2010) – The Rawalpindi Express challenged Harbhajan to hit him for a six in the second last over of the innings.
You don’t become the leading spinner of the team by just talking. You have to perform well consistently over a long period of time. I have bowled well and won games for India. That is why I am the No. 1 spinner. Every time I have taken the field, I have given my 100%.
Which broke tempers between the legends, and finally, Harbhajan won the battle as he hit a six in the final over of the innings when 3 runs were required off 2 balls and punched in the air looking towards Shoaib Akhtar who was standing at Deep Mid-Wicket.
In 2015, Harbhajan again made the news as during his bowling, he got angry on Ambati Rayudu, as he failed to stop the ball from reaching the boundary.
Key Points:
- In 2006, he was carrying a pair of dirty and smelly socks and was fined 200$.
- In 2008, Commonwealth Series the Monkey Incident with Andrew Symonds.
- During an IPL match, Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth.
- In 2015, During an IPL match, Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu got in a quarrel.
Harbhajan Singh Net Worth:
The net worth of the former Indian Spinner as of now in 2020 is around 12.5 Million (Rs. 63 Cr), and most of his earnings came from the game of Cricket and also in his carer he has made some endorsements as well and also invested in some other ventures and properties.
Harbhajan Singh Records and Achievements:
- He is India’s most successful off-spinner in Test matches, with his 417 wickets. The next best is Ravichandran Ashwin with 365 wickets.
- He is the youngest Indian to pick up 400 wickets in Test Matches and second youngest in Test history to do so, after M.Muralitharan.
- Second best match haul by an Indian in Test cricket of 15/217 against Australia in Chennai (2001), after Narendra Hirwani’s 16/138 against West Indies in 1988.
- He is the first Indian to take a hat-trick in Test Match cricket, which was against Australia at Eden Gardens (2001), where he got out Ponting, Gilchrist, and Warne in consecutive deliveries
- He also holds the record of most wickets by a spinner in 3-match series (32 wickets), which was against Australia, held in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai respectively.
- Harbhajan was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2003.
- In 2009, he has conferred the Padma Shri Award.
- He became the first no. 8 batsman to score back-to-back Test centuries.
Harbhajan Singh is one such player who will always be considered the heart of the Indian Spin attack from 2001 to 2011 which is where he reached new heights in his cricketing career, and his memories will always remain fresh in every Indian cricket fan’s mind. There is and can never be another Harbhajan Singh in the History of Cricket.
