The cricket world is celebrating the 45th birthday of the legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh, who defined spin bowling with fingers in a whole new dimension. Throughout his career, the former Indian cricketer created multiple records across the formats. In the era of cricket when it was mostly dominated by powerful hitting batters, Harbhajan was marked as one of the rarest bowlers in his era. Through this article, we'll explore the top 4 One Day International records Singh holds under his belt. 

Top 4 records of Harbhajan Singh in ODIs:

Longest careers in ODIs:

Harbhajan Singh holds the record for serving his nation for 17 years. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma played more than Singh in the format. Tendulkar played 22 years and 91 days, and for Sharma it counts 17 years and 259 days. Singh played for India in ODIs for 17 years and 191 days. The bowler from Punjab first appeared in the blue jersey on April 17, 1998, and his last One Day International match was on October 25, 2015. During this time span, he played 236 50-over matches, 227 innings. Throughout his ODI career, the right-hander claimed 269 wickets, including 3 five-wicket haul bowling figures. 

Most wickets taken stumped in ODIs:

In this record column, Singh holds the best record produced by any Indian cricketer. From 1998 to 2015, during his active days as an international player, the legendary bowler got a total of 36 wickets in ODIs through stumps, which is 13.38 percent of the total wickets he received. Overall, Harbhajan got a total of 236 scalps in the limited-over formats of the game. Sri Lanka legend Muthiah Muralidaran is at the top of the record chart with 56 stumps in his ODI tenure. 

Read More: OTD: Spin legend Harbhajan Singh was Born – A true game changer for Indian Cricket

1000 runs and 100 wickets in ODIs:

Mainly known for his bowling abilities, Harbhajan scored over 1000 ODI runs during his cricketing career. In 236 50-over matches, the right-handed got 1,237 runs, including a 49-run innings. In the middle overs, Singh played some crucial knocks with some of the big hits. He had a batting average of 13.30. For Team India, he was one of the rare spinners who scored 1000 runs and claimed 100 wickets in parallel. Throughout his ODI career, the specialist spinner bagged 269 wickets, including 3 five-wicket haul bowling figures. He holds the same record in test format also. 

1000 runs, 50 wickets, and 50 catches in ODIs:

Apart from bowling, Singh's contribution in fielding was unforgettable. In One Day International matches, the Punjab World Cup winner had completed 1000 runs, 50 wickets, and 50 catches in the format. His all-around performance depicts why captains of Team India never hesitated to put him into the starting XI. Throughout his ODI career, Harbhajan took 71 catches. One of his most memorable catches was a diving catch at backward point to dismiss South Africa's Hashim Amla in a Test match, an appropriate example of his abilities as a fielder.