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Dubai: The past need not necessarily dictate an individual's present actions or deeds. However, given the trail of controversies following Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh over the years, the question does crop up whether the off-spinner is really innocent.
His teammates insist he did not pass a racist remark at Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney last week.
However, fact remains that Harbhajan does carry a reputation for triggering off controversies at the drop of a hat. Is that a result of his tough upbringing?
Harbhajan hails from a middle-class family in Jalandhar, Punjab, and he is the only son of Sardar Sardev Singh, who ran a ball bearing and valve factory.
He grew up with his five sisters and was all set to take up his family business. Fortunately for him, his father was a keen lover of the sport and encouraged his son to concentrate on his cricket.
However, his start in international cricket was a tough one. Harbhajan was thrown out of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on disciplinary grounds. He almost lost his job with Indian Airlines due to his attitude and indiscipline.
In November 1998, Harbhajan was reported for throwing and was forced to travel to England to correct his action. Former England player Fred Titmus finally rectified his action.
After his father died, he almost gave up cricket. Being the only son with no one to support his mother and unmarried sisters, Harbhajan even decided to quit the sport and move to the US to earn his living as truck driver there.
But he managed to find his way back to the sport and was picked for the Indian team in 2001 for the home series against Australia.
And what start he had - registering the first Test match hat-trick by an Indian bowler in the second Test of the sereis in Kolkata. He took 32 wickets to emerge Man of the Series and went on to establish himself as one of India's finest off-spinners.
In March 2002, Harbhajan got involved in a scuffle with the police outside the hotel where the Indian team were put up in Guwahati. He even suffered minor injuries. That incident nearly resulted in the Indian team abandoning the one-dayer against Zimbabwe.
In December 2004, his ability to bowl the doosra (wrong one) came under scrutiny. Soon after the Chittagong Test in Bangladesh, the on-field umpires reported his action, but the International Cricket Council cleared his action in May 2005, stating the straightening of his elbow was within permitted levels.
Then, in November 2005, he was fined 25 per cent of his match fee for pointing South African batsman Ashwell Prince towards the pavilion after dismissing him.
In 2006, the off-spinner appeared without his turban in an advertisement for an Indian whisky brand. This resulted in many orthodox Sikhs burning his effigy in Amritsar, Punjab. Harbhajan quickly issued an apology.
Again in 2006, he publicly hit out at Indian team coach Greg Chappell, accusing Chappell of double standards and instilling fear and insecurity in the team.
The Punjab Cricket Association sought an explanation from him for that, but he escaped punishment after an apology.
Interestingly, Harbhajan had earlier publicly praised Chappell, saying "Chappell has great knowledge of the game and it had been a successful year for the team under him."
He had categorically declared Chappell had lifted the team to great heights. His sudden turn of opinion later only put a question mark against his credibility.
Last year, he had a verbal duel with teammate S. Sreesanth, an equally temperamental cricketer, during a domestic match.
Timeline
In the eye of a storm
- Harbhajan Singh's appeals have time and again triggered controversies over the years. Following is a chronology of incidents involving the Indian off-spinner:
- 1998: Reported for chucking.
- 2000: Thrown out of India's National Cricket Academy on disciplinary grounds.
- 2000: Sponsorship job with Indian Airlines reviewed as a result of a disciplinary issue.
- 2002: Gets involved in a scuffle with the police outside the Indian team's hotel in Guwahati, India.
- 2004: His ability to bowl the doosra (wrong one) comes under scrutiny as umpires report his bowling action again.
- 2005: He is fined 25per cent of his match fee for directing South African batsman Ashwell Prince to the pavilion.
- 2006: Orthodox Sikhs protest for appearing in a whisky advertisement without a turban.
- 2006: Hits out at the Indian team coach Greg Chappell, accusing him of double standards. He was forced to apologise for the statement.
- 2008: Gets a three-Test ban after an alleged racial abuse at Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds.
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