Harbhajan Singh Isn’t What He Used To Be

The pressure’s on the Turbanator. You can see it in the sagging statistics, and you can hear it in the constant carping from the commentators. Daryl Cullinan had the in-house NEO Cricket statistician figure out that out of roughly 25 Singh overs, 17 began with the batsmen taking a single. Then there’s the damning graphics of where his balls pitch (not close enough to the off-stump, the consensus says).

I agree with all of it. Singh used to be a great spinner; look at his career stats around 2002 and 2003, and you get what all the fuss is about. But we’ve paid a great price for this cricketer since then. For one thing, he’s an arrogant jerk (slapping around Sreesanth; obnoxiously kissing batsmen goodbye when he — rarely — dismisses them; whining like a little baby when Murali Vijay drops a catch at short leg, as if it’s Vijay’s fault Singh can’t offer more chances). For another, he’s just not that good anymore. He bowls too fast; he doesn’t flight; he doesn’t spin all that much, and his doosra seems long gone.

Put another way: he’s no Graeme Swann. Drop him.