Column | Problematic “Turbanator” Harbhajan and his aggressive instincts Lookout Cricket

The retirement of Harbhajan Singh from all forms of racing cricket in December 2021 ended the career of a talented cricketer at every turn of his career. During the first years of the 21st century, he was arguably the best spin bowler in the world, and although his batting abilities then dropped to the plateau, he maintained himself with the versatility that allowed him to play all forms of play at the highest level. level with reasonable success. He was a regular player on the national team and part of the team that won the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC World Championship in 2011. Although he lost his place on the national team in 2015, he continued to play. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) until he decided to hang his sneakers shut last month.

Harbhajan began his career in the 1997-98 season when he found himself playing for the national team in March 1998 within four months of his debut at the Ranji Trophy in Punjab. His performance at the junior level and the lack of top-quality off-spin bowling were the factors that made voters try this beginner bowler, who was still in his teens at the time. He did not set Kaver on fire with his test debut, which was played against Australia in Bangalore. Within a month, he also bowed to One Day Internationals (ODI), but a series of inferior performances made him lose his place on the sidelines soon after.

After going through a period of near-oblivion, during which he was also expelled from the National Cricket Academy’s degree program on charges of indiscipline, Harbhajan arranged for a return to the national side in the winter of 2000-2001 with a memorable performance. followers of the game in India at all times. Australia, led by Steve Waugh, had landed in India to conquer the “final frontier”. Visitors were at their peak after winning the previous 15 trotting matches, waiting to set a new world record with 17 consecutive tests while winning the series. And when they won the first test in Mumbai by 10 points, everyone thought they were on their way to achieving both goals.

The Kolkata test against Australia in February 2001 is known as “Laxman’s Test” because he made 281 runs in the second inning, which helped India write a stunning turn and win this game after 274 runs left in the first innings. Harbhajan also played a crucial role in this victory, taking 13 visits (out of 7,123 on the first inning and 6,733 on the second), including the first day of the hat trick. In the previous Chennai test, Harbhajan once again played a great role as he collected 15 cards for 217 runs (out of 7,133 in the first inning and 8 out of 84 in the second inning) and finished the series with 32 points. The Aussie percussionists had no answer to his plots, and even skilled performers like Rickey Ponting and Adam Gilchrist looked shocked to look at him. Australian media nicknamed him a “turbanator” – a tribute to his ability to destroy the ball.

Harbhajan’s career never reached the heights of the stratosphere promised by this performance. The abundance of crickets with limited overshoot made him focus more on restricting running than “buying” lattice. This led to bowling on a flatter line “without giving the ball air”; the classic loop, a hallmark of a high-end off-spinner, also disappeared. This made him a less destructive bowler not only on useful surfaces, and returns also began to thin. When Anil Kumble returned to the side after recovering from the injury, Harbhajan moved to the support spinner.

A finger injury caused Harbhajan to return home from an Australian tour in 2003-2004. He returned to the side the following season and was among the gates when most of the games were played at home. However, the arrival of Greg Chappell as coach and the departure of Sourav Ganguly as captain of the national team in 2005 caused difficulties in Harbhajan’s career. He was the first Indian cricket player to publicly criticize Chappell and his methods, saying the coach “shifted fear and uncertainty” aside. Although his explanation was demanded, Harbhajan managed to escape the action and soon issued a statement praising Chappell!

Harbhajan was involved in one of the biggest controversies in cricket when India toured Australia in 2007-2008. In another test in Adelaide, Australia made a formal complaint that he was guilty of racial abuse against Andrew Symonds. Relations between the parties were low and this incident even threatened to disrupt the rest of the tour. Harbhajan vehemently denied the allegations and was supported by the Indian team leadership. But the referee, Mike Proctor, found him guilty of misconduct. India immediately appealed against this verdict and received a stay, allowing the tour to continue. In the end, ICC Appeals Commissioner Judge John Hansen overturned the referee and released Harbhajan.

The Harbhajan controversy continued after the end of this period. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in 2008, he beat his Indian teammate S Sreesanthia after a game between Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians, the latter of which was lost under Harbhajan. Hitting a national player in front of television cameras provoked widespread criticism, and the Indian Cricket Control Commission (BCCI) made rapid progress and took action against Harbhajan.

By the way, this was not the first time Harbhajan was physically with Sreesanth. During the 2007 Champions Cup trophy, he had loaded a fast bowler on his shoulder as he walked to the top of his bowling alley. The BCCI had chosen to ignore this case, although it has been seen all over the country. But the “slapgate” was too serious to brush under the rug, and Harbhajan was prevented from playing the remaining matches of the IPL season, except for a five-match ban from ODI.

Harbhajan’s international career turned badly the opposite when he was injured on a tour of England in 2011. He was not selected for a tour of Australia in 2011-12 and his appearance in international matches became occasional thereafter. He played his last test in August 2015, and his last appearance at ODI was two months later, although he continued to play domestic first-class cricket until 2017. Since then, his appearance on the cricket field has been limited to playing in the IPL, where he picked up 150 cards in 13 editions.

The combined result of 417 wickets and 269 scalps in the tests makes Harbhajan the second most successful player on the Indian national team after Ravichandran Ashwin. He was also able to use willow effectively, as shown by a total of 2,224 tests in the 2nd century and 9 in the fifties. He was also the first bowler from India to adapt effectively to the requirements of all versions of cricket. But his tendency to create controversy and lack of discipline created a cloud in his career that could have reached much greater heights given the awesome talent with which he had been blessed.

The Kerala Followers in the game could be forgiven for not having a soft spot for this highly competitive cricketer, as he is considered the source of Sreesanth’s bugbear and all the problems a Koch-born pacemaker has encountered. News reports show that the two cricketers later talked to each other and resolved their differences. But it would be hard for fans to forgive so easily, as the bad taste caused by the cases won’t go away quickly. The same is true for cricketers and the Australian cricket-loving audience, as the findings from Gilchrist’s autobiography suggested, although Harbhajan and Symonds share the same dugout in the IPL.

In retrospect, one has to conclude that it would have been better for Indian cricket if Harbhajan Singh’s aggressive instincts were properly channeled on and off the cricket ground.

(The author is a former international judge and senior bureaucrat)