Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has turned 40 on Friday. Widely regarded as one of the leading off-spinners in the modern-day game, Harbhajan has been a mainstay in the national side for more than a decade, since making his debut in 1998. He as appeared for India in 103 Tests and 236 ODIs, taking 417 wickets in the longest format, while dismissing batsmen on 269 occasions in the fifty-over game.

His 417 dismissals are the second-highest by an off-spinner in the world. He only trails Muttiah Muralitharan, who holds the record for most wickets by a bowler in the history of cricket.
Harbhajan didn't have a smooth start to his international career as his arrival was marred with criticism over his bowling action, in addition to his disciplinary issues. However, Sourav Ganguly entrusted him with replacing leg-spinner Anil Kumble after the veteran bowler faced an injury ahead of the 2001 Test series against Australia. Harbhajan rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion, taking 32 wickets in the three-match series. He also became the first Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick during the second match in Kolkata, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of Indian cricket.