Veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh retired from all forms of cricket in December 2021. He finished off with 417 Tests wickets, including a hat-trick versus Australia, in addition to 269 ODI wickets and 25 scalps in T20Is. The right-hander had also slammed a couple of Test tons.
Harbhajan was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side and the 2011 World Cup-winning side. He won a total of four IPL titles – 3 with Mumbai Indians and one with Chennai Super Kings.
In a video uploaded in 2019 on the YouTube channel of the Lord’s Cricket Ground, Harbhajan Singh revealed his best all-time XI, which comprises 4 Indians, 2 Australians, 2 Sri Lankans, and one each from Pakistan, South Africa, and England.
‘Bhajji’ picked a strong Indian top three: Sachin Tendulkar, the God Of Cricket, opening with Rohit Sharma, who is arguably the best white-ball opener, followed by Virat Kohli, one of the greatest to have picked up a bat, who Harbhajan said was an obvious choice in his line-up.
Former Australia captain and the third-highest international run-scorer, Ricky Ponting finds a slot at number 4 in Harbhajan’s all-time eleven. However, Ponting is not elected as the captain by the off-spinner.
Harbhajan has chosen two all-rounders, Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff, to provide balance and bowling depth.
India’s 2-time World Cup-winning captain, MS Dhoni, is chosen to lead Harbhajan’s all-time team. Apart from the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni won the 2013 Champions Trophy, took India to the number 1 Test ranking, along with winning 4 IPL titles.
The two leg-spinners in the side are Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, the two leading wicket-takers in international cricket.
In the pace department, Harbhajan Singh has gone with Pakistan’s Wasim Akram, “one of the best left-arm seamers” and Pakistan’s highest international wicket-taker, along with Sri Lanka’s “Yorker King” Lasith Malinga, who is also his former Mumbai Indians teammate.
So this is Harbhajan Singh’s all-time XI:
Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, MS Dhoni (C, WK), Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan
Here’s the video:
