Harbhajan Singh: Turbanator tamed? Bhajji woes for India

The Turbanator going through tough times

From his bowling prowess to his iconic turban, his Page 3 zeal to his wily doosra and to his on and off-field controversies, Harbhajan Singh has left an indelible mark on the minds of the cricket watchers. Even after the innumerable accolades he has won, one has to ask – has he really made it large? I might get a free beer from Dr. Vijay Mallya for that last statement.

The scrawny young lad who tore through the likes of Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist seems to have been lost in the ever so famous ‘khets’ of Punjab. Simple yet profound examples of Harbhajan’s declining career are the YouTube results for Harbhajan Singh 2001 and 2011. The former results show his famous hat-trick against Australia (he became the first Indian cricketer to take a test hat-trick) and other instances of his bowling potential. The latter shows him endorsing a cola brand and crying after winning the World Cup. No instances of bowling (good or bad) came up.

Harbhajan Singh, for the most part of his test career, bowled in tandem with Anil Kumble. With Kumble’s retirement, something seems to have gone awry with Bhajji’s bowling. Being thrust into the role of the veteran spinner could have bogged him down psychologically. A mercurial, untamed cricketer like Harbhajan would not like to be under the chains of pressure. He has been reduced to a container rather than an attacker. As most critics point out – he seems to have lost confidence and shies from giving flight to the ball. He needs to play some domestic (relatively less pressure) cricket to regain his looping abilities.

Ponting : Bhajji\’s bunny

Let’s look back at the time of Greg Chappell, the famous strict disciplinarian who is often blamed for one of Indian Cricket‘s worst times. Harbhajan clearly wasn’t comfortable under the strict Aussie and was forced to take back his statement alluding to Chappell’s ‘double standards’. His confidence seemed to have been dented under the Chappell regime, making this a good example of how he underperforms when under pressure.

In my view, the decision to drop Bhajji from the remaining tests in the on-going India England series is legitimate. He needs time off to recuperate both physically and mentally. Even with all his laurels, one feels that Harbhajan was destined for bigger and better things. Being the premier spinner of the Indian team, it’s absolutely necessary that he starts afresh and becomes the much feared ‘Turbanator’ again.