'Happy birthday to one of the greatest ever from India' - Wishes pour in thick and fast as Harbhajan Singh turns 43

Harbhajan has 711 international wickets to his name.

By Koustav Sengupta

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Harbhajan Singh
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Harbhajan Singh (Photo Source: Instagram/Harbhajan Singh)

From playing an integral part in a few of India’s glorious chapters to winning four IPL trophies, Harbhajan Singh’s playing career has been nothing short of a fairytale. The spin wizard first burst onto the international scene in the late 1990s during Australia’s tour of India and after a few years of ups and downs, the 43-year-old cemented his position in the side and went on to achieve some remarkable feats in international cricket. 

Bhajji, as fondly addressed by fellow players and cricket enthusiasts, represented India in 103 Test matches, and claimed 417 wickets in the format. Along with Anil Kumble, the off-spinner dominated most of the opponents and was a force to reckon with during his prime.

Currently, he is the fourth-leading wicket-taker for India in the longest format of the game and when it comes to limited-overs cricket, Harbhajan is one of those rare cricketers who have won both T20 and ODI World Cups.

Other than winning World Cups for the national team, Harbhajan will also be remembered for his brilliant hat-trick against Australia in 2001 at the iconic Eden Gardens. He became the first Indian international to achieve the feat in the longest format and other than that, the off-spinner also picked up 32 wickets to help India win an all-time classic series.

Meanwhile, the cricketer had his fair share of controversies as well. The Monekeygate saga that took place in 2008 in Australia shook the cricketing world as Harbhajan was on the verge of getting penalised heavily but wasn't ultimately.

In the very next year, his physical altercation with national teammate Sreesanth while playing in the IPL made the headlines and for which, the cricketer was suspended by BCCI as well. However, the duo shares great camaraderie now and is often spotted commentating together.

Notably, despite all the controversies, Harbhajan will forever be remembered as one of the greatest off-spinners of all time. The cricketer dominated all three formats of the game before announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2021.

Here's how Twitter reacted to his birthday -

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