Here are some interesting facts about the best ‘off-spinner’ for Indian cricket till now, Harbhajan Singh.
- Born on 3rd July 1980 in Jalandhar, Harbhajan was in line to inherit the family business of ball bearing and valve factory, but his father insisted that he concentrate on his cricket career and represent India.
- He made his debut in international cricket at a very early age of 18 years against Australia in a test match on 25th March 1998.
- Harbhajan has managed to built up a net worth of approx $10 million. Bhajji has a 7 crore majestic house in Chandigarh and his car collection consists of a customized Hummer H2 which he imported from London in 2009.
- Harbhajan was trained to be a batsman by his first coach Charanjit Singh Bhullar but switched to spin bowling after his coach’s untimely death saw him turn to the tutelage of Davinder Arora.
- He became the first no. 8 batsman to score back-to-back Test centuries.
- Harbhajan’s father Sardev Singh Plaha died in 2000 and he became the family head at the age of 20 and by 2001 he organised marriages for three of his sisters.
- The Sikh bowler is commonly known by the nicknames like “The Turbanator” owning to the black turban he wears in every match. He’s AKA “Bhajji”.
- He became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in test cricket against Australia after taking down the wicket of Ricky Ponting, Gilchrist and Shane Warne in successive balls.
- Following his performance against Australia in 2001, the Government of Punjab awarded him Rs. 5 lakhs, a plot of land, and an offer to become a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Punjab Police, which he accepted.
- Singh was caught at Auckland airport for failing to declare that he had filthy boots in his luggage. His only excuse was that he "couldn't be bothered" complying with New Zealand quarantine laws. He was fined $200 on the spot.
- In 2008, he was banned by the ICC and was charged for racial insult towards Andrew Symonds.
- Again in 2008, he was banned from the first Indian Premier League (IPL) after slapping Sreesanth on the playfield.
- He was conferred the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009.
- He became the 3rd Indian bowler to scalp 400 Test wickets.
- He is only 18 wickets away from equaling Kapil Dev’s second highest tally of 434 wickets.
- He is famous for bowling the "doosra".
Harbhajan Singh definitely sets an example for how a “Singh” is “King”.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
[1] Harbhajan Singh - Wikipedia
[2] 12 Interesting Facts about Harbhajan
Image source: Google Images