Grumble with Gaurav | Gaurav Kalra
The supercilious among us heap scorn upon numbers. Admittedly, cricket is more than mere statistical achievement. But runs, wickets and averages are an acceptable gauge to measure greatness. Bradman's 99.94, Gavaskar's 10,122, Murali's 800, Lara's 400, Tendulkar's 99, Kumble's perfect 10 are figures entrenched deeply in the psyche of the follower. His repository of memories might draw from a cover drive or a googly, but a debate on favourites relies heavily on the crutch of their numbers. You can dismiss them as dots on scorecards and the pursuit of nerds with calculators and small minds, but their place in our game is undeniable.
Ironically, every time a player with a mountain of milestones is left on the sidelines his unwavering supporters hurl the numbers. In Harbhajan Singh's case it has been no different. The argument is compelling. Only 11 men in the history of Test cricket - EVER - have taken 400 or more wickets. Only two Indians - Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev - have more Test wickets than the offie from Jallandhar. India's latest spin recruits may have taken a bagful on their elevation to Test honours but those came against woeful opposition on obliging home pitches. Surely, against the big boys in their backyard, the 400-wicket man should have had his spot back? Just look at the numbers! Continue reading below
But dig deeper. The Harbhajan story is more layered. Thirteen years have passed since a twitchy debut in 1998. In these 13 years Harbhajan has played 98 Tests that have delivered 406 wickets at an average of 32.22. He has as many as 25 five-wicket hauls. Without doubt, this is a career worthy of admiration.
But don't stop digging just there. Of those wickets, 148 have come from 46 overseas Tests, at an average of 38.43 and strike rate of 76.38. Keep digging some more. Since the start of 2010, Harbhajan has 63 wickets from 18 Tests, average 39.85, strike-rate 83.02. The stats men say that a bowling average of nearly 40 is about the same as a batting average of 25. Let's assume a batsman was averaging 25 or so over two years in nearly 20 Tests. Would he keep his spot in the playing XI? Unlikely. Reputation and performances in the past earn you a long rope. It did. But it ran out and so did the selectors' indulgence.
Harbhajan played an enormous amount of Test cricket - 54 Test matches - as an accomplice to the great Kumble. Unlike Shane Warne and Muralitharan who were largely lone rangers in their teams, Harbhajan was a worthy apprentice to a legendary mentor. In 54 Tests as Kumble's partner, he snapped up 220 of his wickets averaging 32.22. But since Kumble left and the stage has been Harbhajan's alone, he has withered. In 28 Tests since Kumble retired, 107 wickets have come at nearly 36 runs apiece and a strike-rate of 74.74. In that time, just three five-wicket hauls. India were counting on a tweaker to run through batting line-ups. Instead, they have had to make do with a workmanlike contributor at best.
In eight Tests over his last three away series, Harbhajan has picked up 28 wickets at 36.77. He was on song in South Africa, where his 15 wickets played a key role in a near series win. But in the West Indies and England, Harbhajan was off-colour and ineffective. In Australia his career figures are abysmal; nine wickets in four Tests at 73.22. In the Ranji Trophy this season, as captain of Punjab, 3 matches so far have earned him a mere two wickets at an average of 102. Neither on current form nor on the evidence of previous performances, was there a ticket for him on the flight Down Under.
Cricketers secretly measure themselves against practitioners of their own skill sets around the world. And though they deny it so vehemently, they are well aware of the efforts of their rivals. Since 2010 while Harbhajan's 63 wickets in 18 Tests have cost nearly 40 runs apiece, England's Graeme Swann has scalped 91 victims at 28.41 in 22 Tests. Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal has 56 wickets in 10 Tests at 26.96. Daniel Vettori has 40 in 9 Tests at 33.63. Even the virtually unknown Rangana Herath has strikingly better numbers - 40 wickets in 11 Tests at 31.89. If a World XI was up for selection at the moment, Harbhajan wouldn't possibly even come up for discussion. Even if there was place for a second spinner in the line-up!
Bowling averages are a pretty reliable measure of pedigree. Glance through the numbers of the legends in the 400 club. Eight of the 11 in that marquee list average under 26: Murali, Warne, McGrath, Walsh, Hadlee, Pollock, Akram and Ambrose. A majority, in fact, average fewer than 24. Two Indians, Kapil and Kumble, are just a shade under 30. Only one among this elite club averages over 30 - Harbhajan at 32.22. While that does not undermine the weight of his wickets in any way, there is little doubt that Harbhajan's place among the pantheon of all time match-winners is far from assured.
While playing in Australia, South Africa, England or the West Indies, an Indian XI usually accommodates just one spinner. Harbhajan was, in fact, preferred over Kumble in several such Test matches while Sourav Ganguly was at the helm. A slighted Kumble responded emphatically, refining his skills to be successful overseas and confounding the critics. Regaining his pre-eminence with some memorable spells, he retired as India's first choice spinner, home and away.
Harbhajan has to look no further for guidance or inspiration. He must value the competition from the upstarts. He must rejoice in the opportunity to re-examine and chisel his craft. He must abandon the excuses of dropped catches, defensive fields, meatier bats and placid wickets. He is 31. He has played 98 Test matches for India. He has 406 wickets. He is not a spent force but at this time the numbers speak loud and very clear. Harbhajan's career is at a crossroads but not at a dead end.
(The statistics for this article were provided by ARUN GOPALAKRISHNAN. Follow him on Twitter: @cricarun)
