10 Greatest Bowling Performances of All Time in a Test Series

#3 Harbhajan Singh: 32 wickets at 17.03 vs Australia (2001)

Harbhajan Singh led India's bowling in a remarkable series

The 2001 three-match series between India and Australia deserves to be recognized as one of the most entertaining series in the past few decades. It certainly contained one of the great Tests as VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid's extraordinary partnership in Kolkata provided a twist of which M Night Shyamalan would have been proud. But this Test can be seen as a microcosm of the entire series. Australia started strong only for India to bounce back and deny them in dramatic fashion.

Australia went into the series having won 15 consecutive Test matches. In the decade before that they had achieved incredible feats and yet it had been over 30 years since they last won a series in India. They may have believed this to be the moment.

But India had a fine side themselves. They had a batting line-up that would become the envy of the cricketing world, as well as some exciting young bowlers. Among these bowlers was Harbhajan Singh, an off-spinner who was only 20 years of age.

Harbhajan had already been in and around the Test side for a couple of years, but he was yet to make a truly telling contribution. Going into the series he had never taken more than three wickets in an innings. This would change in the very first match as Harbhajan took 4/121 in the first innings. But Australia still comfortably won by 10 wickets, securing their 16th consecutive Test match win. All looked to be going to plan for Australia, but then Harbhajan happened.

Australia started the second Test equally well, forcing India to follow-on with a 274-run lead, although Harbhajan had already begun to weave his magic. In the first innings he not only took a hat-trick that included the wickets of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne, but he finished with figures of 7/123, ensuring Australia were limited to 445.

After Laxmann and Dravid's 376-run partnership, there was still work to do as the target of 384 set for Australia did not mean certain victory. But Harbhajan struck again, taking 6/73 and ensuring India leveled the series.

Harbhajan than carried his form over to the third and final Test. He took 7/133 in the first innings and then 8/84 in the second as India edged home by two wickets.

India, therefore, continued to reign supreme at home. Harbhajan had taken 32 of the 50 wickets Australia lost on the tour, and dismissed Ponting in all five of his innings with the Australian finishing the series with an average of 3.40. His rival spinner, Shane Warne, only managed 10 wickets at 50.50.

Like Hadlee in 1985, Harbhajan hardly needed the help of the other bowlers to decimate the Australian batsmen. But here Australia had one of the strongest sides they had fielded in history and yet still were no match for Harbhajan.