Birthday special: Harbhajan Singh's top three bowling performances in Test cricket Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Approve Reject & ban Delete Logout

Birthday special Harbhajan Singh s top three bowling performances in Test cricket

Third Test - India v South Africa: Day 3 One of the all-time great off-spinners, celebrates his 42nd birthday today (June 3). Harbhajan, famously known as the 'Turbanator', established himself as one of the game's best spinners through his stellar performances and bucketful of wickets. He made his debut in international cricket against a team he will enjoy a lot of success against, Australia, way back in 1998 in a Test match. Harbhajan's final international appearance was a T20 against the UAE during the 2016 Asia Cup in Dhaka. With 413 Test scalps, Bhajji ranks third on the list of most successful Indian bowlers in Tests and stands at 15th in the overall list of highest wicket-takers in the longer version of the game. While in the one-day format, he has 269 wickets in 237 outings. This makes him the fifth most successful Indian ODI bowler. As the veteran celebrates his birthday today, we take a look at three of his best bowling spells in red-ball cricket.

#3 7-133 & 8-84 vs Australia Chennai in 2001

India v Aust X.jpg Australia’s tour of India in 2001 was memorable in many ways. Harbhajan Singh’s exceptional performance was one of the reasons behind the same. punished the Indian bowlers in the first innings of the Chennai Test, slamming a 320-ball 203. But Harbhajan stayed safe from this onslaught as his wily spin captured seven Australian scalps for 133 runs, while also dismissing the brutal Hayden as India managed to contain the visitors for 391. Harbhajan Singh at age of 20

7/123 vs AUS at Kolkata
6/73 vs AUS at Kolkata
7/133 vs AUS at Chennai
8/84 vs AUS at Chennai

Still He is the Only Bowler to Pick 6fer in 4 Consecutive Test Innings

Happy Birthday Harbhajan Singh Harbhajan Singh at age of 207/123 vs AUS at Kolkata6/73 vs AUS at Kolkata7/133 vs AUS at Chennai8/84 vs AUS at ChennaiStill He is the Only Bowler to Pick 6fer in 4 Consecutive Test InningsHappy Birthday Harbhajan Singh In repy, India posted a mammoth 501, courtesy a century by (126). Harbhajan ripped apart the famed Aussie batting line-up in the 2nd innings as well. In what remains his career-best test figures, the right-armer picked up 8 for 84, including the crucial scalps of , and the Waugh brothers. With Harbhajan bringing his ‘A’ game to the fore, India won the series-decider by two wickets.

#2 7-48 vs West Indies Mumbai in 2002

Harbhajan Singh celebrates Tudor wicket India v Aust X.jpg West Indies toured India in 2002 for a three-match Test series. The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai hosted the first Test, where Indian batters dominated and piled up 457 in the first innings. In reply, (4 for 41) and (4 for 51) dismissed the Windies for a paltry 157. 367 international matches
711 wickets
28 five-wicket hauls

2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup winner
Second-highest wicket-taker for in international cricket
Four-time IPL champion

Happy Birthday to one of 's finest spinners, ! ? 367 international matches 711 wickets 28 five-wicket hauls 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup winner Second-highest wicket-taker for in international cricket Four-time IPL champion Happy Birthday to one of 's finest spinners, ! ? When made to follow on, Harbhajan inflicted further humiliation on the visitors. He breathed fire and no Caribbean batter succeeded in reading him. He took 7 for 48 in one of his best bowling performances, ripping apart the Windies batting line-up as India won by an innings and 112 runs.

#1 7-123 & 6-73 vs Australia Eden Gardens in 2001

India v Aust X.jpg Prior to the Test at Kolkata in 2001, Harbhajan had been overlooked for a long time by national selectors. It took a lot of persuasion from then skipper for the selectors to finally give him the nod. In the 1st Test of the series against Australia, Harbhajan showed promise but couldn't stop India from being shamed to a 10-wicket loss at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. It was a make-or-break scene for the youngster in the second Test. But Harbhajan chose this occasion to make his mark in one of the greatest Test matches ever played. Harbhajan picked up a whopping seven wickets in the first innings to stop Australia at 445-10. En route to his 7-123 he also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Tests as he showed Ponting, Gilchrist and the door in succession. Harbhajan Singh took 6 for 73 to bowl India to a famous win at Eden Gardens on this day in 2001. Are those the best innings figures by a bowler whose team has followed on in a Test? ?

Reply to us with the Statsguru link giving the answer Harbhajan Singh took 6 for 73 to bowl India to a famous win at Eden Gardens on this day in 2001. Are those the best innings figures by a bowler whose team has followed on in a Test? ? Reply to us with the Statsguru link giving the answer However, in their first innings, the hosts were skittled out for just 171 before Australia enforced a follow-on. Following on, scored a sublime career-best 281, aided with Rahul Dravid's 180 to post a mammoth 657/7 when skipper Ganguly decided to declare. With a target of 383 runs in sight, some Aussie fans rooted for them to chase it down. However, Harbhajan put all Australian ambitions to bed as he took figures of 6 for 73 and India went on to register a 171-run win. The off-spinner managed a career-high scalp tally of 15 for 217, solidifying his spot in the Indian team for many more years. Check here for the of the T20 World Cup final 2022 Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found