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Harbhajan Singh - most undeserving bowler ever to have taken 300+ Test wickets?

Gabbar Singh

Gabbar Singh

Test Debutant
Joined
Nov 11, 2007
Runs
15,550
Well 345 test wickets to be precise.

Even as an Indian fan it's hard to get excited by this man.

His overseas record is dire - away from India he averages 38 with a strike rate of 74. He bowls with no imagination, no change of pace, little flight, and no variety. He's the bowling equivilent of Dhoni. i.e painful to watch but at least MS has the skill and runs to keep his place in the team. And I've not even mentioned his blatent chucking of his doosra (then again if it's good enough for Murali......)

Anyone else think he is Mr Average and is totally undeserving of 400+ Test wickets which he will probably end up with.
 
You cant argue with the stats. How can you judge which bowler deserves how many wickets?
 
He is a rhythm/confidence type bowler. If he gets smacked for a few boundaries he gets frustrated easily and gets defensive. At times he bowls very flat as well. He should loop the ball and encourage batsman to drive.

Kaneria is a different bowler obviously to Harbajhan but It seems he has same problems.
 
I have never understood what has he got.
Huge off break? No.
Exceptional doosra? No.
He is a dhakka start bowler who is vastly overrated.
 
Tbh, I have always considered him to be quite an ordinary bowler.

Amazing that he has almost 350 wickets.

How many tests has he played?
 
bhajji is an over rated bowler. the only reason he is in the team is because india cannot produce spinners...
 
He's currently playing his 82nd test.
 
bhajji had that one amazing series against Aussies where he got a hatrick and everything.. he hasn't done anything amazing after that, he's been living off that performance till now
 
I think we can expect Ishant Sharma to play 50+ tests too then.
 
a wicket is a wicket, you can't really say that the bowler in question did not 'deserve' to get the number of wickets he has...that being said, never really rated him, only really seems to pick up his game against the Aussies, with both bat and ball.
 
Pakistani batsmen have always Pwned him..

jus shows how crap he is..lol
 
Wickets are wickets, can't say they were undeserved.

Harby is a bit of a pity in that he does have talent - and occasionally shows it when he flights the ball - but most of the time he just darts it in flat and defensive.

And Brett Lee says hello to the 300 wicket club, still can't believe he is in there.
 
Good to see him slowing his pace down in the current south africa series. He didn't bowl too badly on the second day.
 
It's his self-confidence that always brings him down.

He seems to go into a shell when getting hit. Bhajji is a tough bowler to face when on song. He gets it to rip and grip.
 
overrated bowler bhajji...he played 54 tests along side Kumble, who got 280 wickets, and bhajji got 220...i wonder why.
 
He is very good bowler but only against australia,his record is good against them....
but he is not shane warne ,murli or qadir type bowler.
if wicket helps him he can do better job but other then that he is average

:danish
 
The problem I feel with Bhajji is his improvement and growth. Every top spinners in world kept on growing and increasing the variety in their bowling except Bhajji. He has almost the same variations. Rather now a days he cuts on his flight.

So he has become more of a defensive bowler than wicket taking one. He is still in the team as no one else is challenging him from domestic circle.

I am little optimistic about the Ashwin guy. Lets hope he challenges Bhajji.
 
if you take 300 wickets than u take 300 wickets....

Sometimes hattrick might be a fluke...but that many wickets can never be fluke...
 
Gabbar Singh said:
Well 345 test wickets to be precise.

Even as an Indian fan it's hard to get excited by this man.

His overseas record is dire - away from India he averages 38 with a strike rate of 74. He bowls with no imagination, no change of pace, little flight, and no variety. He's the bowling equivilent of Dhoni. i.e painful to watch but at least MS has the skill and runs to keep his place in the team. And I've not even mentioned his blatent chucking of his doosra (then again if it's good enough for Murali......)

Anyone else think he is Mr Average and is totally undeserving of 400+ Test wickets which he will probably end up with.
Click to expand...


he doesn't deserve his slot niether tests nor ODI...very average bowlers...
may be because of the life and fame he got in India, he is blown away with that...haven't added any dimensions in his bowling...it's attitude also for his poor performance....
he must be more focused and work hard....
 
He's always been a bowler who needs a dusty pitch to have any major impact on a game.

In Tests - his imagination is very flat.

He sometimes shows the potential to be a very dangerous bowler in limited overs cricket however - but seldom does his potential shine through.

As long as he consistently gets Ponting's wicket, he will hold his place in the side though.
 
Assignment for y'all:

Compare Bhajji, Ajmal, and Hauritz on:

1. Test wicketing-taking ability against top batting sides in the world
2. Defensive vs aggressive bowling
3. Variety and talent
 
Asif of spin bowling.

Give him a wicket which suits him he will run through you rest of the time his is just honest.
 
Without a doubt. The guy rarely gets it done anymore and is a horrible bowler. Never consistent and gets way too much leeway when compared to others. The way they treated Murali Kartik was a crime.
 
Robert said:
I'd say Lee is the worst in the 300 club.
Click to expand...

Lee was very very good a couple of years ago. Ian Chappell rated him the best fast bowler in the world at the time. I think hes pretty good when healthy.
 
lil saeed anwar said:
bhajji is an over rated bowler. the only reason he is in the team is because india cannot produce spinners...
Click to expand...


check indian spinners vs pakistani spinners.......from 1947 to 2010

even againist spinners from all teams india will still feature in top 3....


On the topic....Bhajji is a good bowler,but a confidence bowler couple of wickets in the beginning and he will run through sides,but he gets smacked he gets down......patience...this is something he must learn from the greats like Kumble warne or murali....
 
Foozee said:
Pakistani batsmen have always Pwned him..

jus shows how crap he is..lol
Click to expand...

indeed i still remember watching that match where afridi hit 4 sixes to bhajji in one over lol
 
rvd said:
Lee was very very good a couple of years ago. Ian Chappell rated him the best fast bowler in the world at the time. I think hes pretty good when healthy.
Click to expand...
Lol Ian Chappel wouldn't pass up an opportunity to rate any Aussie as the best in the world.

I recall him commentating during an ODI between SA and Aus in the 1990s, in which he rated Ricky Ponting as the best fielder in the world, ahead of Jonty Rhodes.
 
s2k said:
check indian spinners vs pakistani spinners.......from 1947 to 2010

even againist spinners from all teams india will still feature in top 3....


On the topic....Bhajji is a good bowler,but a confidence bowler couple of wickets in the beginning and he will run through sides,but he gets smacked he gets down......patience...this is something he must learn from the greats like Kumble warne or murali....
Click to expand...

He is talking about recently, obviously not over a 60 year period you numpty.

Though it is oddly true. We are not oozing with spin talent but India always have. India having a hard time replacing Kumble. I like the looks of Ojha and hope he gets more chances. Classic spin who loops it up. Mishra looks decent too but I still like Ojha more.

However, is Harbhajan buddies with Dhoni? I was reading he was and that is why he is in the team and Dhoni not a big fan of Mishra.
 
Amir said:
He is talking about recently, obviously not over a 60 year period you numpty.

Though it is oddly true. We are not oozing with spin talent but India always have. India having a hard time replacing Kumble. I like the looks of Ojha and hope he gets more chances. Classic spin who loops it up. Mishra looks decent too but I still like Ojha more.

However, is Harbhajan buddies with Dhoni? I was reading he was and that is why he is in the team and Dhoni not a big fan of Mishra.
Click to expand...

Not only buddies but business partners..

http://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/newsdetails.php?id=202&mod=6&smod=sports

They have jointly invested over $5 million in office blocks.
 
rvd said:
Lee was very very good a couple of years ago. Ian Chappell rated him the best fast bowler in the world at the time. I think hes pretty good when healthy.
Click to expand...

That's when Rudi Keortzen was his personal sugar daddy...it was absolutely ridiculous back then...with Rudi umpiring, Lee wouldn't even appeal for lbw's, he'd just keep running to wicket keeper celebrating...
 
wiseguy said:
indeed i still remember watching that match where afridi hit 4 sixes to bhajji in one over lol
Click to expand...

I don't think that should be used against him. Shahid Afridi is a beast afterall. He'd hit anyone for a six!
:afridi
 
345 wickets are 345 wickets.... if it was so easy a large no would be getting it ...

the problem with bhajji is that he needs an early strike. also since kumble retired he has had too much pressure on him.

to be fair to him he has delievered occasionally in tough situations eg compaq cup final where he single handedly won india the game.

btw i dont think kaneria is that useless either ... pure stats wise he is better than qadir.

people who rate qadir rate him mostly for being a legend during the dying period for spin as he was mainly the only one. As such he was ok .

people keep harping how batting friendly the wickets are ... hell shouldnt that make kaneria more favourable to qadir??

lets face facts we have been accustomed to 2 greats in warne and murali and kumble who when the conditions were right was lethal

comparing that to anything else is futile
 
always said he was overrated . some one whos played 80+ test matches ,still is scared to flight the ball is baffling .

His bowling is more suited for ODIs these days
 
Gabbar Singh said:
Well I'm glad to be proven wrong. Lets hope he can continue with this form now.
Click to expand...

Yeah it was good performance from Bajji this time but I would still say that he has to accept the fact that he is our lead spinner. Zaheer seems to have come to terms with the premier fast bowler tag but Bajji seems to still think he is 17 year old. He is 29 now and that is supposed to be the start of the peak years for the cricketers and I hope that with this performance he has turned an important corner in his career.
 
Gabbar Singh said:
Well 345 test wickets to be precise.

Even as an Indian fan it's hard to get excited by this man.

His overseas record is dire - away from India he averages 38 with a strike rate of 74. He bowls with no imagination, no change of pace, little flight, and no variety. He's the bowling equivilent of Dhoni. i.e painful to watch but at least MS has the skill and runs to keep his place in the team. And I've not even mentioned his blatent chucking of his doosra (then again if it's good enough for Murali......)

Anyone else think he is Mr Average and is totally undeserving of 400+ Test wickets which he will probably end up with.
Click to expand...


totally agree. however offspinners are hardly exciting. i enjoyed watching saqlain mushtaq(when he was at his peak) and murli against NZ.
 
I disagree with a lot of the comments above....

He is been our main spinners over quite a number of years now. I believe he is one of the prime reasons that India has the test record that it has in India. The only other impact bowlers have been Zaheer and Kumble, and I would still rate Bhajji slightly ahead overall than these two in India...With this logic he has played no small part in India's rise to No. 1 as most of that is due to India's domestic record..

Agreed he is no muralitharan or warne or saqlain. But he has had impact on Indian cricket that is a lot more significant than Kaneria or others.....
 
I think hes good but not good enough to be an example to youngsters. dont get me wrong but i do think some other guy should have got a chance instead of him hogging the spinner slot in team
 
He looks like such a good bowler when he actually flights the ball dunno why he doesnt do it often only does it here and there (occasionally)... He should end up with 500 test wickets by the time he retires...
 
Romali_rotti said:
He looks like such a good bowler when he actually flights the ball dunno why he doesnt do it often only does it here and there (occasionally)... He should end up with 500 test wickets by the time he retires...
Click to expand...

Yes he will overtake Warne. He is a good bowler nonetheless also a good sportsman :14:
 
Have to say Bhajjis bowling performance v S.A was one of his better career efforts.
 
Don't agree with most posters here

No once can take that many wickets without being good.
And I don't think many people here understand the finer points of spin bowling.

Have you seen how he releases the ball and he gets that very good drift away from the righties that any off successful offspinner.

Not the greatest bowler in the world - but definitely not the worst, not by a long way
 
Every wicket in test cricket is eanred through lot of hard work put into it. And doing that 350+ times in a career is a wonderful achievement whichever way you look at it.

Also had taking 350+ wickets been so easy, then Bhajji wouldn't have been on no 17 in the all time wicket takers list. Those who are ahead of him are Murali, Warne and Kumble!!Shows how good he has been. Has had a very tough 18-24 months, but hopefully the bad patch is over and he will continue to win matches for us.
 
cricketindiafan said:
Every wicket in test cricket is eanred through lot of hard work put into it. And doing that 350+ times in a career is a wonderful achievement whichever way you look at it.

Also had taking 350+ wickets been so easy, then Bhajji wouldn't have been on no 17 in the all time wicket takers list. Those who are ahead of him are Murali, Warne and Kumble!!Shows how good he has been. Has had a very tough 18-24 months, but hopefully the bad patch is over and he will continue to win matches for us.
Click to expand...

Success often creates a lot of enemies, it's good that people are underrating him, the numbers speaks for itself. Any bowler who has a 300+ tally deserves it, they practiced hard and got there by determination and hard work.
 
Sehwag87 said:
Success often creates a lot of enemies, it's good that people are underrating him, the numbers speaks for itself. Any bowler who has a 300+ tally deserves it, they practiced hard and got there by determination and hard work.
Click to expand...


Or being a minow tail end basher and slaper! :)))
No doubt about him, he can bowl out bowlers better than anyone! :)))
 
sillyfan said:
Or being a minow tail end basher and slaper! :)))
No doubt about him, he can bowl out bowlers better than anyone! :)))
Click to expand...
Do you think Kallis was a tailender? Your standards are quite high I assume.
 
2 for 304 so far against Sri Lanka in this series.

Has not averaged under 30 in a calender year since 2005 now.

Fancy a swap for Kaneria guys?
 
He was once a world beater, for the first half of his career. So yeah I say he deserves it.

With technology, most likely he's been worked out, that's the problem.
 
Nope... not at all. Bhajji has bad days BUT he doesn't give away 100 runs in 20 overs in tests, which, in the context of england's innings was appalling.

When bhajji bowls badly (or without success) i.e. gives away 100+ runs for 0-1 wickets, there is a good chance that the match will end in a draw - and just sometimes we will lose.

However, he has single-handedly WON many more matches - historic ones at that - than he has LOST for India.

He is still the bowler India has to turn to when bowling 4th in a test.
 
how can you call a bloke who got 300 wickets as 'undeserving.'

many people might not rate him, but appreciate him for that milestone.
 
Better version of Kaneria....Swann is the best spinner right now
 
He is a very good bowler in test matches a true match winner, ask the aussies. I am not saying this coz I am indian
he has great variety. Even Murli has said tht only 1 bowler can challenge his 800 n tht is bhajji.
bhajji >> swann (as he is very new)
 
Bhajji is surely up there,but i feel Brett Lee was the most undeserving to 300 test wickets.Kaneria's getting there too
 
The 'Budgie' about to go past 400 test wickets. Still have mixed feelings about him but I guess I was wrong in my overall assessment of him.
 
When he gets there, we can certainly say he is the most undeserving to have taken 400+ wickets. All of them have averages under 30 except for Bhajji's which is close to 32. His economy and strike rates are also more than the others, although economy can be forgiven in this modern age.

Don't get me wrong...The key word is most. The others are more deserving than him. But Bhajji certainly deserves to be in that club. Obviously he's there for a reason.

Here is the link to compare:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/93276.html
 
ntini and harbhajan are the most undeserving in that bracket for me
 
What's undeserving?

He deserves every wicket that he gets :facepalm:
 
If someone can get 400 test wickets through luck then I probably should play test cricket as a bowler. I was a legspinner during my school days and felt that I was pretty lucky. :)
 
So bcci paid cash to batsmen for getting out on harbhajans blowing righ yeah!
 
Sledger said:
I think we can expect Ishant Sharma to play 50+ tests too then.
Click to expand...

The guy(Ishant) has a MOS against Australia at home and he won a series against them which is more than any of your legendary fast bowlers did. Laugh all you want, but in the end its the results which count
 
Right, and just remind me how many times Australia have toured Pakistan recently?
 
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