Harbhajan Singh’s Batting Manual

From copybook square cuts to those hoicks over the ropes, his shots are all coming good

Harbhajan Singh may or may not take as many Test wickets as his great compatriot, Anil Kumble. With 374 Test wickets, Harbhajan is still a long way from AK’s 619. But there is one area in which he has taken an insurmountable lead: he has two Test centuries. Kumble scored one and is now retired.

Harbhajan’s batting has been the highlight of the India-New Zealand series. It is a mix of entertaining clumsiness and rapidly improving cricketing shots. There is no telling what will happen when he takes guard (does he?). He may throw his bat around like a tailender, or rock back on his feet and play a copybook square cut.

There are signature moves in the Harbhajan Singh batting manual. One is the square cut, with which he is getting increasingly comfortable. The second is sliced aerial shots. The third is his ability to clear the ropes even if he does not get to the pitch of the ball. The last is thanks to his talent for improvisation.

Harbhajan is known for his rapport with Sachin Tendulkar. When the two played an exhibition match with Indian soldiers, Harbhajan won the toss and said, “We’ll chase.” A laughing Sachin, the rival captain, said “What?” Of late, Harbhajan is chasing batting milestones. Sachin is happy. “A long time ago, I told him he had the ability to be a quality allrounder,” Sachin says. “Today, everybody else is saying it.”

Devendra Arora, Harbhajan’s childhood coach, says, “His batting has improved a lot, and he is the best allrounder in the country after Kapil Dev.” That is a stretch. But Harbhajan bats in the same cavalier fashion, and, at this rate, can certainly aspire to becoming a quality allrounder.