Harbhajan Singh

Personal info.

Full name Harbhajan Singh Plaha Born 3 July 1980 Jalandhar , Punjab , India Nickname: Bhajji , The Turbanator Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Batting style Right-hand Bowling style Right-arm off break Role: Bowler

International info.

National side India Test debut (cap 215 ) 25 March 1998 v Australia ODI debut (cap 113 ) 17 April 1998 v New Zealand shirt no. 3

More info.

His career was initiallybeset by investigations into the legality of his bowling action and disciplinary incidents that raised the ire of cricket authorities. However in 2001, with leading leg spinner Anil Kumble injured, Harbhajan's career was resuscitated after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for his inclusion in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. In that series victory over Australia , Harbhajan established himself as the team's leading spinner by taking 32 wickets , becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Test cricket. A finger injury in mid 2003 sidelined him for much of the following year, allowing Kumble to regain his position as the first choice spinner . Harbhajan reclaimed a regular position in theteam upon his return in late 2004, but often found himself watching from the sidelines in Test matches outside the Indian subcontinent with typically only one spinner, Kumble, being used. Throughout 2006 and into early 2007, Harbhajan's accumulation ofwickets fell and his bowling average increased, and he was increasingly criticised for bowling defensively with less loop. Following India's first-round elimination from the 2007 Cricket World Cup , Harbhajan was replaced by other spinners in thenational squad for both formats. He regained a regular position in the team in late 2007, but became the subject of more controversy. In early 2008, he was given a ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for racially vilifying Andrew Symonds . The ban was revoked upon appeal, but in April, Harbhajan was banned from the 2008 Indian Premier League and suspended from the ODI team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for slapping Sreesanth after a match. He was conferred the Padma Shri , India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009.