5 big Harbhajan Singh records Ravichandran Ashwin has already broken

Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh are undoubtedly two of the biggest match-winners Team India have ever produced. Both have proven themselves to be the captain's strongest weapons and have almost always stepped up to the plate.

Team India have always been blessed with a plethora of spin bowling options. Whether it be the illustrious spin quartet of yesteryear or the modern-day greats like Harbhajan and Ashwin, spinners have undoubtedly been the Men in Blue's biggest asset in home conditions, which reflects the imperious record as well.

Being among the most prolific Indian off-spinners to date, one cannot help but strike up a comparison between the two. The Tamil Nadu-born player recently scaled the 450-wicket mark and has no intention of slowing down.

Harbhajan, on the other hand, played a pivotal role in Sourav Ganguly's era as captain and was able to translate it into other formats as well.

Legends in their own right, the off-spinners are behemoths, impact-wise as well as from a statistical point of view. They have been unplayable at times on home turf and have set plenty of records over the course of their careers.

On that note, here are a few of Harbhajan's milestones that Ashwin has already toppled.

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#1 Wickets by an Indian off-spinner

As previously mentioned, Ashwin recently claimed his 450th Test wicket after dismissing Alex Carey in the first innings of the Nagpur Test. It took him 89 Tests to reach the landmark, with an average of 24.09.

In comparison, Harbhajan ended his career with 417 Test wickets from 103 matches at an average reading 32.46.

Ashwin became the leading wicket-taker among Indian off-spinners after crossing Harbhajan's tally during the first Test against New Zealand in late 2021.

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#2 Wickets at home by an Indian offie

It is no surprise that both spinners' home record trumps their overseas exploits. The subcontinent conditions assist spin bowling and both legends made the most of it to claim wickets and win matches for their team.

In terms of home dominance, both spinners have been a huge threat to negotiate. However, purely from a statistical point of view, Ashwin is considerably ahead. The senior off-spinner has taken 320 wickets in 52 Tests at an average of 20.88. The wicket-tally will only go higher with Ashwin having no plans to hang up his boots while maintaining such a high level of consistency.

In comparison, Harbhajan claimed 265 wickets on home turf at an average of 28.77. The former off-spinner formed a deadly duo with Anil Kumble during his playing days, an era where India were looking to assert themselves to climb higher in the rankings.

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#3 Player of the Match awards

Overseas teams to this day dread the prospect of facing Indian spinners in subcontinent conditions. It is no surprise that the spin duo's bulk of their match-winning performances have come on the peninsula.

Harbhajan was adjudged as the Player of the Match in the longest format a total of six times in his career. He was the recipient for the first time in his performance in the iconic Chennai Test against Australia in 2001, where he ended with a whopping 15 wickets, which remains his best bowling figure in a match.

Ashwin, on the other hand, claimed the Player of the Match award in his maiden Test outing itself. He took nine wickets in the contest as India defeated West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in November 2011. Since then, he has added eight more Player of the Match awards to his tally, with the most recent being for his display against Bangladesh in December 2022.

Ashwin crossed Harbhajan's tally after claiming the award for his performance in the Kanpur Test against New Zealand in 2016. As a result, he is the most decorated player among Indian off-spinners when it comes to Player of the Match awards.

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#4 Wickets in a calendar year by an Indian off-spinner

Harbhajan set the record for most wickets by an Indian off-spinner after claiming 63 scalps in 2002, his second year in international cricket after returning to the fold following a two-year absence.

Ashwin, however, toppled that record by a fair margin after taking 72 wickets in 2016. He played a pivotal role in India's wins over West Indies, New Zealand, and England in that particular year to end with a mammoth tally of scalps.

The Tamil Nadu spinner could potentially break his own record in 2024, should he keep up with this rich vein of form. The likes of England, New Zealand, and Australia will all tour India within the timeframe, providing Ashwin with the opportunity to be heavily among the wickets.

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#5 Five-wicket hauls by an Indian offie

Rohit Sharma recently spoke about Ashwin's eagerness to claim a five-wicket haul during the first Test against Australia. This shows how much the milestone means to a bowler and despite having secured five-wicket hauls on plenty of occasions before, the hunger still remains.

The senior off-spinner's figures of 5-37 in the second innings marked his 31st five-wicket haul in Tests, which is the highest among any Indian off-spinner, with Harbhajan coming second - 25 times.

Ashwin went past Harbhajan in this particular aspect during his famous spell against South Africa in 2019, where he took 7-145. He had to endure a two-year wait to overtake Harbhajan, with his 25th five-wicket haul coming during the 2017 tour of Sri Lanka.

Ashwin also went past Harbhajan in terms of wickets in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He went past the former spinner after claiming the wicket of Peter Handscomb in the second innings in Nagpur, which marked his 96th wicket against Australia.

How many wickets will the tricky off-spinner end up with in his career? Let us know what you think.

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