Harbhajan Singh retires from all forms of cricket: Details here
Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has retired from all forms of cricket. The legendary off-spinner announced the same on Twitter on Friday. Harbhajan retires as India's fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. He won the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 50-over World Cup with Team India. Harbhajan was an integral part of the Mumbai Indians set-up from 2008 till 2017.
All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 24, 2021
My heartfelt thank you 🙏 Grateful .https://t.co/iD6WHU46MU
Harbhajan made his international debut in the third Test against Australia (1998) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Over two decades later, he is India's fourth-highest wicket-taker (417) in Test cricket after Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), and R Ashwin (427). Overall, Harbhajan scalped 711 wickets from 367 internationals at an average of 32.54. He also owns 28 five-fors and five 10-wicket hauls.
In 2001, Harbhajan became the first Indian to clinch a hat-trick in Test cricket. He rattled the Australian batting line-up on the opening day of the historic Eden Gardens Test. The likes of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne were the victims of Harbhajan. He finished with bowling figures of 196/13 as India sealed a famous Test victory despite getting a follow-on.
To date, Harbhajan is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. He has accounted for 150 scalps from 163 matches (best match haul of 5/18). The 41-year-old is the leading wicket-taker among off-spinners in the tournament. Besides playing for Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan also represented CSK and KKR. He owns the third-most wickets for MI (127). For Chennai Super Kings, he scalped 23 wickets at 25.30.
Earlier this month, The Indian Express reported that Harbhajan could be seen as a member of the support staff at one of the high-profile Indian Premier League franchises. To be able to take up this role, Harbhajan had to retire from all formats.
Harbhajan scalped 32 wickets in India's 2-1 Test series win against Australia (2001). He was a part of the Indian side that reached the 2003 WC final. Harbhajan was a mainstay spinner when India won the 2007 World T20 and 2011 WC. With India, he also won Tests in Leeds (2002) and Durban (2010/11), as well as the CB series (2007/08) Down Under.
