Harbhajan Singh's list of controversies

The off-spinner was challaned by the Chandigarh Traffic Police for plying his Hummer vehicle without a registration number. He was challaned Rs 3000 for the indiscretion.

October, 2008 - Harbhajan could not control his tongue and in an interview said that former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was not a ’saint’ and called Matthew Hayden a liar.

April, 2008 - Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth, after a match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Apart from banning him for 11 or 13 matches he was also fined his match fee for the game.

January, 2008 - Harbhajan Singh was charged with a Level 3 charge of racially abusing Andrew Symonds when he allegedly called Symonds "monkey". He was banned for one test and charged 50 per cent of his match fees.

Symonds was not the lone Australian to have problems with Harbhajan during the tour Down Under. Opener Mathew Hayden also joined the off-spinners’ critics club and called him as an “obnoxious little weed” in a radio interview which led to Cricket Australia (CA) issuing Hayden a warning.

October, 2006 - Harbhajan featured without his turban in an advertisement for a liquor brand that angered many orthodox Sikhs, leading to anti-Harbhajan protests.

March, 2002 - Harbhajan was engaged in an altercation with the police outside the team hotel in Guwahati. A scuffle broke out when Harbhajan remonstrated with police officers after they refused to allow a photographer into the hotel.

In 2000 he was also thrown out of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for not falling in line with the academy’s objectives and shirking physical workouts.

In 1998 Harbhajan was engaged in a war-of-words with Australian captain Ricky Ponting in his maiden international ODI series after which he was slapped with a fine and a reprimand. Advertisement

Harbhajan Singh's Hummer under scanner

Cricketers have divided opinions on whether one should play for numbers and records or not. However, there are some digits that one
needs to worry about no matter what. When Harbhajan Singh’s newly-acquired black Hummer drove into the city on Monday, the huge vehicle did not have a registration number on it.

UT traffic police officials said the vehicle would be challaned on Tuesday when they have substantial evidence. SP (traffic) HS Doon said, “Be it an international cricketer or a common man, nobody is above the law. If Harbhajan is moving around in his SUV without a number he will definitely be challaned.”

How the SUV, which is the civilian version of US Army’s Humvee (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle), reached the city from Jalandhar without a registration number is a question for another day, as it was Bhajji’s non-celebrity cousin, who drove it to Chandigarh. Playing it down, Harbhajan Singh said, “Perhaps rain has washed down the number slip. I have got three photo copies of it inside the car. I have just returned from Mumbai and don’t know much about it.”

But traffic police says paper slips are not valid and it has to be a proper plate even for the temporary number, which is valid for a month’s time till the vehicle gets registered. Advertisement