Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has picked his best XI players he has played against in Test cricket. The decorated cricketer, who has been out of the Indian side since 2016, has snubbed some big names including current India skipper Virat Kohli and former skipper MS Dhoni.
Harbhajan Singh, who has represented India in 103 Tests has been out of the Indian side for quite some time now. His form started falling at the start of this decade and with the emergence of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh lost his place in the playing XI. His last Test appearance came in 2015 during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Harbhajan has recently revealed his best XI in red-ball cricket with whom he has played in a candid chat with ESPNCricinfo. In a team filled with star cricketers, Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden will open the innings in Harbhajan Singh's XI. At number three, he went for the dependable Rahul Dravid.
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“He is the most dependable batsman that I’ve ever played against or bowled to. In any conditions, whether you talk about playing fast bowling, seam bowling or spin, he had the technique to cope with it," Harbhajan said while picking his former teammate.
Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, and Kumar Sangakkara will form the middle-order of the side. These are the best batsmen to have played the game scoring runs on a consistent basis. Ricky Ponting will lead the star-studded lineup while Sangakkara will don the wicket-keeper's hat.
Harbhajan said that “Virat Kohli, Brian Lara and maybe Kevin Pietersen were close for this spot” but he went for Ponting. He also said that if he chooses Kohli, Shane Warne would be his captain.
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On the bowling front, Harbhajan Singh picked all-time great Shaun Pollock, Wasim Akram, and Glenn McGrath as the fast bowler while Shane Warne will be the lone spinner in the playing XI.
Harbhajan Singh’s All-Time best red-ball players XI:
Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Pollock, Shane Warna, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath
