Harbhajan Singh announced himself to the world when he captured 32 wickets in 3 Tests against the rampaging Aussies in 2001. He bamboozled many oppositions when on the song. Bhajji, as he was fondly called, formed a potent combination with Anil Kumble. While Ravichandran Ashwin entered the international scene a decade later to Bhajji. He stamped his authority on the game immediately. No sooner did Ashwin race to 400 Test wickets, there has been a debate regarding who has been India’s best off-spinner. Her we go Harbhajan Singh vs R Ashwin best spinner of the India team
StumpsandBails presents to you facts and figures about these two spinners which will help us determine who has had a greater impact on the game and for the country.
The 400 Test wickets club Harbhajan Singh vs R Ashwin:
Harbhajan Singh got to 400 Test wickets in 96 Test matches. The veteran spinner has 417 Test wickets to his name in 103 Tests at an average of 32.46 and a strike rate of 68.54. Among all the bowlers who have taken 400 Test wickets, Singh’s bowling average is the highest.
Longevity vs impact?
His numbers at home are at best decent for a finger-spinner. Singh picked up 265 wickets at home at an average of 28.77 while his away numbers are below par. He managed to pick 152 wickets at an average of 38.90. Owing to such numbers and his inability to consistently dismiss top-order batters, Singh’s position as bowling great has been questioned time and again. It is his longevity that has ensured he joined the 400 wicket club.
The rise and rise of Ashwin:
Ravichandran Ashwin won the Man of the Match award in his debut test. He even won the Man of the Series award on debut. Ashwin has been an unstoppable force, especially on Indian conditions while his performances overseas have gotten better with every tour. He became the second-fastest bowler to get to 400 Test wickets while the youngest bowler (in terms of Test debut-400 wickets) to do so.
Ashwin has 401 wickets in his name in 77 Tests at an outstanding average of 24.95. He has a record 29 5-wicket hauls and 7 10-wicket hauls. He has won 7 Man of the Series award which is an all-time Indian record. Ashwin fares better as compared to Singh on both home and away numbers.
Ravichandran Ashwin has 278 wickets at home at a spellbinding average of 22.19. While he has 123 wickets overseas at a respectable average of 31.19. Ashwin was a revelation in Australia and he was one of the big reasons why the Aussie batsmen, especially Steve Smith could not get on top of him.
The ODI format supremacy:
Harbhajan Singh represented India in 236 ODI’s and 3 World Cups (2003, 2007, and 2011). He was a key member of the World Cup-winning Indian side in 2011. Singh had surprisingly better numbers away as compared to home in ODI’s.
He picked up 155 wickets at an average of 32.06 while he picked up 114 wickets at home at an average of 35.12. If you look at his overall numbers, then Singh has picked up 269 wickets in 236 ODI’s at an average of 33.36 and a strike rate of 46.39. His economy rate of 4.31 stands out!
Ashwin has had a considerably shorter run in ODI’s as compared to Singh. He played 111 ODI’s and picked up 150 wickets. Ashwin played a crucial role in two games in the 2011 World Cup while he played a stellar role in India winning the Champions Trophy in 2013.
He played a key role in India reaching the semi-finals of the 2015 ODI World Cup. Ashwin’s career haul of 150 wickets has come in at an average of 32.91 but his strike rate of 40.14 is fantastic. His economy rate of 4.92 is fair as the game by then had become more batting-friendly in the limited-overs.
King of the shortest format:
Harbhajan Singh was one of the star performers for the Indian team in the inaugural T20 World Cup win in 2007. He has played a total of 28 T20I’s for India picking up 25 wickets at an average of 25.28 and a strike rate of 24.48. His economy of 6.20 is top-notch though.
Ashwin has been India’s go-to spinner in limited-overs cricket until 2017. He spearheaded many ICC tournaments for the country. He played a key role in India reaching the finals of the T20I World Cup in 2014 and the semi-finals of the T20I World Cup in 2016.
Ashwin played 46 T20I’s for India and managed to pick 52 wickets at an average of 22.94. His strike rate of 19.73 is telling while his economy rate of 6.98 is excellent too.
Verdict:
Ashwin certainly has better numbers compared to Harbhajan Singh in Tests and T20I’s. While Singh has just a shade better numbers compared to Ashwin in ODI’s. But it is fair to say that Ashwin in the limited opportunities he has received (compared to Harbhajan Singh) has proven to be a bigger match-winner for the country.
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