Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that Virat Kohli’s stature at the 2023 World Cup will be comparable to Sachin Tendulkar’s during the 2011 edition. He also said that Virat Kohli played a key role in India winning the 2011 World Cup and that the former India captain would be hungry to repeat the feat as the tournament gets underway in India in October this year. During a conversation with News24 Sports, Harbhajan also asked the rest of the team to let Kohli to play with freedom and not burden him with too much pressure.
"If the other guys do that job, I will say let Virat Kohli play his own game. When he plays his own game, the guy is unstoppable. He is a champion player, there is no doubt about it,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Looking back at previous World Cups, Virat Kohli has been one of India's most consistent performers in ICC events. However, despite his consistency, he has struggled to make an impact in the semi-finals of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. However, Harbhajan Singh sounded optimistic that the batter would be keen to rectify this if India make it through to the knockout stages this year.
Harbhajan Singh also said that the Indian side has enough quality and players should all share the responsibility and allow Kohli to play his own game. “If Virat gets out, no issue, we will manage. We have Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, they are all mighty players. So, I hope the pressure on him is slightly reduced and he can play his game,” Harbhajan added.
Virat Kohli has been a colossal in ODI cricket and the right-hander has piled up 12,898 runs at an excellent average of 57.32 in 274 ODIs. He has not been at his prolific best in recent times, but has shown signs of being at his best this year. He will be a key figure for India at the ICC World Cup this year.
