1. India’s Most Successful Off-spinner in Tests
Harbhajan Singh’s 417 wickets in Test cricket are the most by any Indian off-spinner in whites. The next off-spinner on the list is Ravichandran Ashwin, who has picked up 275 wickets in his career so far.
Most wickets by Indians in Test cricket:
- Anil Kumble 619 wkts
- Kapil Dev 434 wkts
- Harbhajan Singh 417 wkts
- Zaheer Khan 311 wkts
- Ravichandran Ashwin 275 wkts
2. Youngest Indian to Pick 400 Wickets in Tests
When Harbhajan Singh dismissed Carlton Baugh in a Test match at Dominica in july 2011, he became the youngest Indian to reach the 400-wicket mark in the format. In Test cricket history, only Muttiah Muralitharan had reached the milestone at a younger age.
Youngest to reach the 400 wickets mark in Test cricket:
- Muttiah Muralitharan 29y 273d
- Harbhajan Singh 31y 4d
- Shane Warne 31y 346d
- Dale Steyn 32y 33d
3. Second-best Match Haul by an Indian in Test Cricket
Harbhajan Singh took 7/133 and 8/84 in the deciding Test against Australia at Chennai in 2001 to guide India to a famous series win. His match haul of 15-217 is the second-best match returns by an Indian in Test cricket.
Best Match figures by an Indian in Test cricket
- Narendra Hirwani 16-136 (v WI, 1988)
- Harbhajan Singh 15-217 (v Aus, 2001)
- Jasu Patel 14-124 (v Aus, 1959)
- Anil Kumble 14-149 (v Pak, 1999)
4. First Indian to Take a Hat-trick in Test Cricket
In March 2001, Harbhajan Singh snapped up the first-ever Test hat-trick by an Indian bowler, on the opening day of the second Test against Australia. His victims were Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne.
Since then, only one other Indian has managed the feat.
Indians to take a hat-trick in Test cricket:
- Harbhajan Singh v Australia, Kolkata 2001
- Irfan Pathan v Pakistan, Karachi 2006
5. Most Wickets by a Spinner in a 3-Test Series
The 2000-01 home series against Australia will be remembered in Indian cricket history as one of the best-ever. And a large portion of the credit for India’s spectacular come-from-behind win in the series must go to Harbhajan Singh, who picked up 32 wickets in the series, which was the biggest haul by a spinner in a 3-Test series.
Most wickets by a spinner in a 3-Test series
- Harbhajan Singh 32 (v Aus, 2001)
- Abdul Qadir 30 (v Eng, 1987)
- Muttiah Muralitharan 30 (v Zim, 2001)
6. Mumbai Indians’ Most-Capped Cricketer
Harbhajan Singh has grown to become one of the mainstays of the Mumbai Indians line-up; with 147 caps against his name, the off-spinner is the Mumbai Indians’ most-capped player. He has taken a total of 147 wickets, which puts him second in the list of top wicket-takers for MI.
Most matches for Mumbai Indians
- Harbhajan Singh 158
- Kieron Pollard 145
- Ambati Rayudu 136
- Lasith Malinga 127
- Rohit Sharma 123
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