Harbhajan Singh retires from all forms of cricket

The 41-year-old made 367 appearances for India between 1998 and 2016, taking 711 wickets and scoring 3,569 runs

Harbhajan Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing to an end a career which spanned four decades.  

The 41-year-old spinner made 367 international appearances for India between 1998 and 2016, taking 711 wickets and scoring 3,569 runs

His 417 Test wickets, taken in 103 appearances, remains the fourth-highest for India while his best performance came against Australia in 2001 when he took best innings figures of 8 for 84 and match figures of 15 for 217. During that series he also took a hat-trick in Kolkata, becoming the first Indian player to do so in a Test match.

With the white-ball, Singh took 269 wickets in 236 ODIs and 25 wickets in 28 T20Is as well as winning the World T20 in 2007 and the Cricket World Cup in 2011.

His final international appearance came against the UAE in March 2016 in the Asia Cup.

^{Harbhajan Singh (centre) celebrates a wicket during the 2011 Cricket World Cup [Matthew Lewis/Getty Images]}

Singh was also highly successful at club level, taking 150 wickets in 163 Indian Premier League matches for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders – placing him fifth on the all-time list – as well as turning out for Surrey and Essex.

In 2021, he made three appearances for Kolkata Knight Riders without taking a wicket to bring the curtain down on his playing career.

Announcing his retirement in a video on Twitter, Singh said: "There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket.

"In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn't been able to make a formal announcement.

"I haven't been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire.

All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.
My heartfelt thank you 🙏 Grateful .https://t.co/iD6WHU46MU

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 24, 2021

"It has been a beautiful journey over 25 years, right from the gullies of Jalandhar to becoming the Turbanator of India. Nothing has been more motivating for me than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey.

"Like every [Indian] cricketer, even I wished to bid goodbye in an India jersey, but fate had something else in store for me. Irrespective of the side I represented, I have always given my 100 per cent commitment to ensure my team finishes on top - whether it was India, Punjab, Mumbai Indians, CSK [Chennai Super Kings], KKR or the county teams of Surrey and Essex.

"Cricket was, is and will always be an important part of my life. I have served Indian cricket for years, and will continue to strive to serve them in the future. I have no idea about the future, but whatever I am today is because of cricket. I will be immensely happy if I can be of help to Indian cricket in any role in the future.

"Now I begin a new chapter in my life, which starts with its own challenges. Believe me, your Turbanator is ready for the examination! Just keep showering your love on me."