Born on this date, Harbhajan Singh will maybe never come close to the iconic 11 days he had in March 2001 – a golden eleven that set his mark in both Indian cricket and history. With India losing 0-1 against Steve Waugh’s mighty Australian team, Harbhajan gave a spectacular display of himself, taking 32 wickets in the series, including India’s first-ever Test hat-trick, guiding one of the greatest comebacks cricket has ever witnessed.
He didn’t just bowl 𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕤𝕣𝕒𝕤… he 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥 us over too 💙
Happy Birthday Bhajju Paa 🎂#MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/6RH8fjpkcV---Advertisement---— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) July 3, 2025
His fierce competition with Australia brought out the best and worst of his playing career. While he became the Australian great Ricky Ponting’s nightmare, troubling him constantly on Indian soil, Harbhajan was also at the epicenter of one of cricket’s most infamous rivalries.
In 2008, his fiery confrontation with Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test resulted in charges of racial abuse – subsequently reduced to verbal abuse on appeal. Controversy accompanied him into the IPL the same year, as he was suspended for the season following an altercation with teammate Sreesanth in which he slapped him in a widely publicized incident.
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After Anil Kumble’s retirement, Harbhajan was handed the charge of India’s spin department. But a slump in form and the emergence of new spinners led to him being out of favor.Selectors sidelined him after the tour of England in 2011. Despite this, Harbhajan had his breaks – most notably in October 2011, when he guided the Mumbai Indians to Champions League T20 title.
His India appearances soon became infrequent, since he played only five Tests in the following four years. Although his international career slowed, Harbhajan Singh’s legacy – particularly that magical 2001 series – lingers in Indian cricket lore.
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