One of the greatest off-spinners India has ever produced, Harbhajan Singh, referred to by his fans as The Turbanator and also known as Bhajju Pa in his close circles, has been conferred with an honorary Ph.D. in Sports by Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon, a renowned university in France, in a convocation ceremony.

Unfortunately, the 41-year-old veteran cricketer couldn’t attend the ceremony and receive his honorary doctorate degree in person as he is professionally committed to his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and is currently in the UAE where his team has made it to the playoffs stage in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Harbhajan made his debut for India in the late 1990s as a teenager as he announced his arrival at the grand stage of international cricket in 2001 by taking 32 wickets in three Tests against Australia. Since then he established himself as one of India’s go-to bowlers for a decade thereafter.

Over the following years, he became a part of the successful Indian teams that clinched the 2007 T20I World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 ODI World Cup on home soil. In his international career for Team India, Harbhajan picked up 711 wickets with 28 five-wicket hauls and five 10-wicket hauls.

In the IPL, Harbhajan started off being a senior member of the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first ten years and lifted the coveted IPL title on three occasions with MI. In 2011, he even bagged a fifer against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In 2018, he moved to MS Dhoni’s Yellow Army, where he found success once again as CSK clinched another title in a fairytale season.

The Jalandhar-born spin wizard made way into the KKR squad for possibly his third and final team in the ongoing IPL 2021 when back in February, Eoin Morgan-led KKR had picked Harbhajan at his base price of INR 2 crores.

When it comes to the degree that Harbhajan has been conferred with, the university offers the doctorate degree to popular personalities, including the ones from the sports fraternity. Bhajju Pa expressed his gratitude after he got honoured by the renowned French university. 

As per a report by Cricket.com, Harbhajan said: “If any institution accords respect, you accept that with utmost humility. If I have been conferred with honorary sports doctorate by the university, it is because I played cricket and people have showered their love and affection for that. I am honoured to be conferred with the degree.”

The vice-president of the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA), Dr. Harcharan Singh Ranauta, recommended Harbhajan’s name to the prestigious university in France. Harbhajan also expressed his gratitude to the jury which picked him.

“I would like to thank Dr. John Thomas Parade, president Sorbon, Dr. Vivek Choudhury, chairman, Sorbon International Convocation Committee (Celebrity), Dr. Mukesh Tyagi, Sorbon International Convocation Committee, for finding me worthy enough,” added Harbhajan.

So far in the UAE leg of the 14th edition of IPL, he has had to warm the benches as KKR have preferred the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy as their main spin-bowling options ahead of the legendary spin genius. 

Nonetheless, Harbhajan has played three matches for KKR this season but is yet to get a wicket. In seven overs, he has conceded 63 runs at an economy rate of nine. It is unlikely that he will continue as a player in the event’s mega auctions next year.