It was officially the end of an era in Indian cricket on Friday (December 24) as the veteran Harbhajan Singh announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. A member of the World Cup-winning squad, the 41-year-old will go down as one of the most celebrated personalities in Indian cricket. Here is a look at some of his career's illustrious highlights.
1998: The Debut
A teenager Harbhajan first rose to the occasion in 1998 at the age of 17 when he made his debut against Australia. On debut, he was tasked to bowl some of the greats of the game, an Australian side studded with the likes of Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting and others. Gregory Blewett became the first of his 711 International wickets as he returned with 2/112 in the first innings followed by 0/24.
2001: Career defining moment in Kolkata
The Test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata will go down as a career-defining moment for Harbhajan. Not only India won the match when asked to follow-on, the Jalandhar-born spinner also became the first Indian bowler to pick a hat-trick in Test cricket. Opposition Australia went on to become his most favourite opponent in the coming time as he scalped 95 wickets against the Aussies in the longest format.
2007: T20 World Cup success
One of the greatest moments in the history of Indian cricket, Harbhajan was part of the young Indian team that went on to win the T20 World Cup. Merely months before India, he was part of the squad that was knocked out in the group stages of the ODI World Cup, but he assured India ended on a high as the ‘Men in Blue’ won the inaugural edition. His spell in the semi-final against Australia would be a memorable one as the Aussies required 28 from 18 balls, but his spin magic kept the Aussies at bay.
2011: ODI World Cup Triumph
Arguably the greatest moment of Indian cricket in the 21st century, the off-spinner was one of India’s main assets on their way to success in the 2011 World Cup. He played in each of India’s nine matches; nine wickets in the tournament underlined his importance in the team. Alongside the man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh, he was India’s second most successful spin bowler in the tournament.
2013: IPL triumph with Mumbai Indians
A loyal servant for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), the right-arm off-spinner completed a grand slam of titles in 2013 when he won the IPL title. It took five years for MI to clinch the glory, but he ultimately had his hands on the IPL trophy. He went on to win the title in 2015 and 2017 as well, while he also won the abolished Champions League (CL) on a couple of occasions. In 163 IPL matches, he managed to scalp 150 wickets for MI, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
