Former Australia captain Steve Waugh recently met former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and described him as one of the toughest opponents of his team. The former batsman recalled that Harbhajan gave nightmares to Australia’s batting lineup during the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
The 2001 Border–Gavaskar Trophy remains one of cricket’s most unforgettable competitions. After being defeated by 10 wickets in the opening Test at the Wankhede Stadium, India under Sourav Ganguly produced a remarkable turnaround to take the series 2-1.
The comeback stunned Steve Waugh’s Australia, whose dominant winning streak was broken by an Indian team with a mix of emerging talent and experienced performers.
Harbhajan Singh’s heroics help India seal iconic Test win over Australia
Sourav Ganguly played mind games with Australian captain Steve Waugh to trouble the opposition team and made him wait for the toss again and again.
However, the real architect of India’s victory was Harbhajan Singh, who produced a career-defining performance by taking 32 wickets in three Test matches. He took a sensational hat-trick in the Kolkata Test, helping India achieve a miraculous victory after being forced to follow on.
Ricky Ponting had a tough time in the series and managed only scores of 0, 6, 0, 0 and 11 and was dismissed by Harbhajan on all five occasions. Notably, Ponting averaged only 26.48 in 14 Test matches in India, while his overall career average was 51.85.
It’s always good to deal with old opponents – Steve Waugh on Harbhajan Singh
Steve Waugh recently shared an old memory on Instagram after meeting Harbhajan Singh. Waugh described the catch-up as a meeting with an “old rival” and said that Harbhajan had been extremely impressive during that iconic series.
Waugh wrote on Instagram, “It’s always good to face old opponents on the field of play. This guy single-handedly destroyed us with the ball in the famous Border/Gavaskar series of 2001, taking 32 wickets in 3 Tests!! #Who was the next best Indian bowler and how many wickets did he take?”
Harbhajan Singh shocked the world by destroying Australia’s batting lineup.
Australia entered the series with stalwarts like Ricky Ponting, Steve and Mark Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden. He was unstoppable and broke records on the field. Between August 1999 and February 2001, the Australian team recorded 16 consecutive Test wins.
However, Harbhajan Singh shocked the world by demolishing Australia’s batting lineup throughout the Test series. After taking 17 wickets in the first two matches, Harbhajan produced his best performance in the final Test and took 15 wickets in the match to secure a historic series win for India.
The former spinner finished the series with 32 wickets, while the next best Indian bowlers, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan could only take three wickets each. He bowled a whopping 178.3 overs, far more than anyone else in the series, with the second highest being second only to Zaheer Khan with 55.4 overs.
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