Harbhajan, a veteran of 98 tests and 406 wickets, has only one good showing in a T20 International appearance, apart from leading his state Punjab to an outright win against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy opener on Monday. After the day's play, Harbhajan said, “I am excited to be back in the squad after a long time. I was not bowling well the way I should have. But, I have improved and have got over the rough patch. I am looking forward to playing my 100th Test. It’s a good feeling. I know I am not the one who quits,” he said.

Regarding Yuvraj’s inclusion, Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha both said that his comeback has been an inspiration to "all of us”. There have been four comebacks in the squad: Murali Vijay, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Ishant Sharma. Vijay replaced S Badrinath, who featured in the last Test against New Zealand in August. Suresh Raina and injured leg-spinner Piyush Chawla have not been included in the team

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, whose fitness was under the scanner after he limped off the field during a Ranji Trophy match yesterday, has also been retained, apparently after getting the physio's nod. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma are the two other pacers in the squad.

The team has seven specialist batsmen, three pacers, three spinners and one wicketkeeper-batsman in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The series starts in Ahmedabad on November 15, followed by the second Test in Mumbai (from November 23 to 27). The third Test is scheduled in Kolkata (December 5 to 9) and the final Test will be played in Nagpur from December 13 to 17.

It made his international return during the World Twenty20 Championships in Sri Lanka in September.

The all-rounder then went on to impress one and all with his fine performance in the Duleep Trophy for North Zone. His 208 against Central Zone was followed by a 59 and a five-wicket haul against England for India A last week, proving that he was fit for the rigours of five-day cricket.