Harbhajan Singh’s Magical Performance – 2001 Test Series

Considered one of the most brilliant and memorable performances by an Indian in a Test Series, Harbhajan’s record-breaking bowling was remarkable. In the complete series, Harbhajan Singh took 32 wickets in just three matches! That’s superhuman performance! 

Bowling over 178.3 overs, with an average of 17.03, Harbhajan Singh marked history. His fellow player, former Indian Captain, and the BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly still recalls that moment at the Eden Gardens. 

“They say it’s love at first sight. And when I saw Harbhajan bowl at Eden, picking up 14 wickets it was love at first sight for a cricketer who I believed would go on to change things for Indian cricket,” said Ganguly. 

The 2001 Tri-Series – India vs Australia was one of a classy contest, solely because of various unexpected twists and turns. Fine cricket performance was another reason why this series became unforgettable. 

Australia was one deadly team back with players in the squad like Michael Slater, Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Ricky Pointing, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Michael Kasprowicz, Jason Gillespie, and Glenn McGrath. 

Though the team was a cut-throat competition, Harbhajan and the Indian team were one step ahead. 

Let's have a look at the complete performance of Harbhajan Singh in the Series. 

India vs Australia, 1st Test 

In the first innings, Harbhajan got to deliver 28 overs. During his overs, he got 3 maiden overs, giving away 121 runs, and taking 4 wickets with an economy of 4.32. In the second innings, none of the batters got a wicket, not even Harbhajan Singh. 

India vs Australia, 2nd Test 

Harbhajan was on fire in the first innings of the India vs Australia, 2nd Test. Bowling 37.5 overs, Singh took 7 wickets for 123 runs, and got 7 maidens with the economy of 3.28. 

Harbhajan Singh was the star of the second test. He didn’t rest in the second innings from taking the wickets. Singh smoothly took 6 wickets in 30.3 overs, and got 8 maidens with 2.41 economy. 

India vs Australia, 3rd Test 

Nothing changed in the final and India vs Australia, 3rd Test. Harbhajan Singh took 7 wickets in 38.2 overs and achieved an economy of 3.48 in the first innings. 

The performance graph of Harbhajan Singh was rising exponentially. In the second innings of the final test, he took 8 wickets in 41.5 overs, giving away just 84 runs, and got 20 maidens with the economy of 2.02. 

Was Murali Kartik a Better Option than Harbhajan? 

There's an opportunity cost to everything. The opportunity cost for calling Harbhajan Singh was Murali Kartik. Was it a good decision by Sourav Ganguly? Well, if you look at the performance of Harbhajan Singh in the complete 2001 Test Series, the decision was heavily accurate. 

Murali, who was already experienced, debuted in 1996-97. So, what could be the reason behind this replacement? Murali faced many penalties due to disciplinary issues and considering the same, the captain, Sourav Ganguly was not able to trust him completely to play against the strongest team. 

The captain was right! The decision turned out to be beneficial for the team and eventually India defeated Australia.