Harbhajan Singh (born 3 July 1980) is a former Indian cricketer and a member of the Rajya Sabha. An attacking off-spin bowler nicknamed “Bhajji” and “the Turbanator”, he took 417 wickets in 103 Tests and was the first Indian to take a Test hat-trick. He was part of the teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Harbhajan Singh Plaha |
| Born | 3 July 1980, Jalandhar, Punjab, India |
| Age | 46 |
| Role | Right-arm off-spin bowler |
| International career | 1998–2016 |
| Test record | 417 wickets in 103 matches |
| ODI record | 269 wickets in 236 matches |
| Party | Aam Aadmi Party (Rajya Sabha, since 2022) |
| Spouse | Geeta Basra (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2003), Padma Shri (2009) |
Early Life
Harbhajan was the only son among six children of Sardar Sardev Singh, who ran a ball-bearing and valve business in Jalandhar. He trained first as a batter and switched to spin under the coach Davinder Arora. He made his Test debut against Australia in Bangalore in March 1998, aged 17. His father died in 2000, and he considered moving to the United States to drive trucks to support his family.
Career
Captain Sourav Ganguly insisted on his selection for the home series against Australia in 2001. In the second Test at Eden Gardens he dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne with successive balls, India’s first Test hat-trick, and took 13 wickets in the match, which India won after following on. He finished the three-Test series with 32 wickets.
He formed a long spin partnership with Anil Kumble and passed 400 Test wickets in 2011. In 2008 he was at the centre of the “Monkeygate” row with Australia’s Andrew Symonds in Sydney, and that year he was banned for the rest of the first IPL season for slapping his India team-mate S. Sreesanth. He won IPL titles with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and retired from all cricket in December 2021.
After Cricket
In March 2022 the Aam Aadmi Party nominated him to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. He works as a commentator and has acted in a Tamil film.
Personal Life
He married the actress Geeta Basra in 2015. They have a daughter, Hinaya, and a son, Jovan.
Major Titles
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Harbhajan Singh born?
Harbhajan Singh was born on 3 July 1980 in Jalandhar, Punjab, India and is 46 years old.
What is Harbhajan Singh’s role?
Role: Right-arm off-spin bowler.
What honours has Harbhajan Singh received?
Arjuna Award (2003), Padma Shri (2009).
Featured image: Harbhajan Singh meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi, October 2015. Photo by Prime Minister’s Office, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
