Harbhajan Singh - most overrated Indian Spinner?

[aussie_ben91]

A few statistics, I may go into more technical detail slightly later.

A good way to compare spinners is wickets per Test innings as it forgoes the flatness of a pitch slightly.

Muttiah Muralitharan: 3.36 wickets per innings
Anil Kumble: 2.69 wickets per innings
Shane Warne: 2.59 wickets per innings
Harbhajan Singh: 2.21 wickets per innings
Daniel Vettori: 1.92 wickets per innings

As I said before, much more from me slightly later...

How does it forgoe the pitch flatness? Of course Murali's going to lead the table if his bowling on spinning paradises bowling in tandom with a weak bowling attack, especially when he plays for a country that faces the likes of Zimbabwe & Bangladesh on a more regular basis to any other ICC International country in the world.

 

[Supershtuffthat]

Not only is he overated, if anyone read the West Australian today he you'll realise he's the most arrogant player not just in world cricket but in the world.

I saw him on this airline show and they wanted to check his bags as a routine thing when going through customs at an airport in Engalnd. His response was: "do you know who I am? I do not deserve this treatment. How dare you treat me like Im some citizen". And he got all angry. What a dooshbag.

In a country of a billion people, surely there must be at least one spinner who can play better than him....

 

[kookaburra69]

In a country of a billion people, surely there must be at least one spinner who can play better than him....

Yeah...Kumble.

 

[aussie_ben91]

He doesn't like bowling to Matthew Hayden, that's for sure.

 

[SciD]

He doesn't like bowling to Matthew Hayden, that's for sure.

Thats true and he has admitted that Hayden and Ponting play him best.

 

[harishankar]

After Bhajji's performance in Melbourne on what looked like a helpful wicket, I stick to my stance. He's an overrated bowler who's got far too many chances to make a comeback. Even though he got wickets in the 2nd innings, most of the time he bowled, he just didn't get enough purchase off the wicket.

Seeing part-time spinners like Symonds bowl and get bite and quick turn on the same pitch should really be sobering to fans of Bhajji.

 

[Leggie]

He's far too overrated, he never looked like troubling the Australian batsmen and I don't expect him to trouble the Australian batsmen on a spinning paradise SCG pitch...

 

[RoboRocks]

After Bhajji's performance in Melbourne on what looked like a helpful wicket, I stick to my stance. He's an overrated bowler who's got far too many chances to make a comeback. Even though he got wickets in the 2nd innings, most of the time he bowled, he just didn't get enough purchase off the wicket.

Seeing part-time spinners like Symonds bowl and get bite and quick turn on the same pitch should really be sobering to fans of Bhajji.

He got Hayden and Ponting in succession and kept it tight for a while and there is a difference between a day 4 pitch Harbhajan bowled on and a day 5 pitch Symonds got the wicket of Dravid on.

I stick to what I say that Harbhajan has always been the second spinner to Kumble and you can always expect the second spinner to get the same results as the first.

 

[Leggie]

He got Hayden and Ponting in succession and kept it tight for a while and there is a difference between a day 4 pitch Harbhajan bowled on and a day 5 pitch Symonds got the wicket of Dravid on.

I stick to what I say that Harbhajan has always been the second spinner to Kumble and you can always expect the second spinner to get the same results as the first.

But Harbhajan's no where near the class of Kumble, and Harbhajan's only spun us to one victory in the past and that was the Australia series in India whereas Kumble as won us god knows amounts of matches...

 

[usy]

I voted no. Good decent bowler.

 

[Animator!]

The thing is, is there anyone in India who could step up into the job he does and play the role he plays? He's not as much of a wicket-taker as he was when he first burst onto the scene, but he does keep things tight, that in itself is a role because it builds pressure, pressure usually leads to wickets.

As we've seen, Ramesh Powar is very inconsistant, he takes wickets and bowls superbly, then doesn't. Piyush Chawla doesn't look like he can cut it at Test level yet. I don't know of any others because I know practically nothing about Indian domestic cricket.

Of course, it totally depends on whether you want a second spinner or to play a third seamer. I would say that Harbahjan is really good enough to stay in the side in theory, but if there isn't anyone to step up to replace him.

 

[RoboRocks]

But Harbhajan's no where near the class of Kumble, and Harbhajan's only spun us to one victory in the past and that was the Australia series in India whereas Kumble as won us god knows amounts of matches...

I agree that he's not as good as Kumble which is why he's the second spinner but he does do a good job by keeping things tight and picking up one or two wickets. That should be good enough for me.

 

[manee]

As we've seen, Ramesh Powar is very inconsistant, he takes wickets and bowls superbly, then doesn't. Piyush Chawla doesn't look like he can cut it at Test level yet. I don't know of any others because I know practically nothing about Indian domestic cricket.

Noone really rivals those two. There are two or three behind them, but they won't be getting selected any time soon.

 

[karnog]

To me Harbhajan Singh is out of form and needs to go back to the domestic league or IPL (if the BCCI ever support it) and gain some rhythm and form. You can't blame the guy for being out of form. He's a bit like Sehwag to me. Give them 2 years or so in domestic cricket and they'll come back with a bang. Ganguly is a great example of comebacks as are Hayden, Langer, Martyn, Collingwood, Sidebottom, Flintoff,etc. etc.

 

[icyman]

To me Harbhajan Singh is out of form and needs to go back to the domestic league or IPL (if the BCCI ever support it) and gain some rhythm and form. You can't blame the guy for being out of form

He was infact kicked out of the side.He went back to domestic cricket,picked up quite a few wickets there,but just couldnt do it in Tests.

Infact the IPL has been started by the BCCI itself.

The thing is, is there anyone in India who could step up into the job he does and play the role he plays? He's not as much of a wicket-taker as he was when he first burst onto the scene, but he does keep things tight, that in itself is a role because it builds pressure, pressure usually leads to wickets.

As we've seen, Ramesh Powar is very inconsistant, he takes wickets and bowls superbly, then doesn't. Piyush Chawla doesn't look like he can cut it at Test level yet. I don't know of any others because I know practically nothing about Indian domestic cricket.

Keeping things tight doesnt help.You got to take wickets to pile on the pressure.
Piyush Chawla needs to be given a chance,atleasr he can get some suport from Aussie tracks.