Harbhajan Singh over the years: The chequered career in pictures

2011 World Cup and beyond

The World Cup 2011 was won at home, and Harbhajan Singh was a key part of it, despite the emergence of Ravichandran Ashwin. However, he was excluded from the team after getting injured on India’s tour to England and returned to Tests only in November the next year.

Despite Ravi Ashwin’s emergence, Harbhajan was a vital part of India’s 2011 World Cup win

After the World Cup, Harbhajan didn’t play a single ODI game for the next four years, with his only notable contribution during that period for the India Blue coming in the form of a four-wicket haul against England in the 2012 World T20.

Consistently good performances in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians earned Harbhajan a recall into the side for a one-off Test against Bangladesh. It was only his fifth Test in the last four years, and he was overlooked once again after a Test in Sri Lanka. International call-ups kept deserted him, even though he was part of the Asia Cup squad and the World T20 in 2016.

Harbhajan and his Mumbai teammates pose with the 2017 IPL trophy

He was part of the Mumbai Indians team that won a record third title of the IPL, impressing with his tight lines that resulted in crucial economical spells for the franchise in the powerplays. An India recall seems unlikely with each passing day, but Harbhajan Singh has done enough in his career to have his name featured along with the other greats of Indian cricket once he does decide to hang his boots.