India vs England: Harbhajan Singh picks an India batsman who'll always be in his 'all-time XI'

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has said he'll always include "very very important" Cheteshwar Pujara in his "all-time XI."

In the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Pujara once again played an important part with the bat. Even though Rishabh Pant was acknowledged for his heroics in the fourth Test at the Gabba, it was Pujara who had laid the foundation, like always. He scored a 211-ball 56 and during the knock, he shared crucial partnerships with Shubman Gill (114 runs off 240 balls for the second wicket), Ajinkya Rahane (35 runs off 53 balls for the third wicket), and Pant (61 runs off 141 balls for the fourth wicket).

Pujara, who along with Rahane was the only Indian player to feature in all the four Tests Down Under, finished the series with 271 in four Tests at 33.88. But more importantly, he faced 928 balls - the most of any batsman in the four-test series.

Even in the previous tour, 2018-19, Pujara made a huge impact with the bat, ending the series as the highest run-scorer with 571 runs in four Tests at 74.43.

"He was fantastic even in the last series. His fifty was so crucial. He held one end up and other people went there to score runs. He's someone very very important, I will always pick him in my all-time XI because he is the one who lets the others play the way they want to and achieve whatever the target is in front of us," Harbhajan told India Today.

In an interview recently, Pujara termed India's 2-1 win in the 2020-21 tour as the "best" among their other series victories.

"It was a great series. We started very confidently, having played well last time (2018-19). We started off well, we were ahead on the first two days at Adelaide. Then, on the third day, in one hour, we lost the game. There was a disappointment, but the way we came back, it was one of the best comebacks in my cricketing career.

If I have to rate the best Test series against Australia, I will be confused between the 2017 series at home, the series in 2018-19, and this one. With the side we had, this one will be one of the best," Pujara said.

Pujara also revealed his conversations and exchange of text messages with former Indian skipper and head coach Anil Kumble before India travelled to Australia two years ago for the 2018-19 series. Kumble's suggestions helped Pujara face Lyon, who managed only nine wickets in the four Tests this time, as compared to his 21-wicket haul in the 2018-19 series.

"I also got a text from Anil bhai (Kumble) because I was in touch with him. He told me 'you have to play in a certain manner'. The gameplan which he told me in 2017

has been helping me play well against Nathan Lyon," Pujara said.

Team India are now gearing up for a full-fledged home series against England, starting Feb. 5. The series includes four Tests, five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs). India and England have reached Chennai and are currently undergoing a six-day quarantine as a part of the bubble. The series also marks the return of international cricket to India for the first time since the pandemic struck the world last year.