Harbhajan Singh also lauded Virat Kohli for his leadership.
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, while praising Virat Kohli’s personality compared him to MS Dhoni, saying that if he was soft like the wicketkeeper batter he wouldn’t have scored many runs.
There’s no doubt about Virat Kohli’s ability as a player. The Indian Test skipper after being inconsistent in his early days has only risen in ranks and has created himself a name that almost every kid, who plays cricket, wants to follow.
Virat Kohli has tasted a lot of success and is still breaking numerous records along the way and is one of the leading batters in all three formats of the game and perhaps also the best Test captain India has ever produced.
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Ever since he took charge of the Test team, he set new standards in Indian cricket and made the Indian side one of the most dominant sides in world cricket today. The 33-year-old insisted on a fearless attitude and peak fitness ethics in the players that have helped the team reach new heights in world cricket.
Harbhajan Singh feels that Virat Kohli’s temperament suits the Indian setup and there should be more players like him to take the team forward.
He stressed, how the team would think about drawing the Test series when they toured Australia earlier, but now under Virat Kohli, the thinking is about how to win the series.
"Virat's temperament totally suits the Indian setup. We need players like this to take the team forward and Virat Kohli did that. Earlier, when the team would go to Australia, we would think about how to save the Test series.
“Under Virat's captaincy, there has been a change where we think about how do we go and win the Test series in Australia,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Singh recalled an incident when India lost a match, chasing 400 runs and Virat Kohli had scored a big century. He revealed that after the match he told the Indian Test skipper that the match could’ve ended in a draw, to which he replied that there’s no importance of drawing they will learn to fight and win.
"I remember in one of those series, where he had scored a lot of runs, although India had lost the Test series. India had to chase some 400 runs in that match and Kohli had scored a big century.
“So, when he returned to the pavilion I told him that the match could have ended in a draw, but he replied that 'there is no importance of a drawn Test, either you win or you lose and the day we learn to fight, we will learn to win and someday we will,” he said.
Harbhajan Singh said that Virat Kohli changed the Indian side and it because of that the team won the Test series in Australia, played well in England and he hoped that they beat South Africa in the ongoing Test series.
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He lauded Virat Kohli as a leader, saying that his aggressive approach has made him the player he is today. He remarked that if he was soft like MS Dhoni he would not have scored many runs.
"And that is the change you have noticed in this Indian side. They went to Australia and beat them twice, they played well in England and I hope they beat South Africa in this series, although this South African side isn't that great.
“So, Kohli has perfectly played his role as a leader. And his aggressive approach has made Virat Kohli the player he is today. If Virat Kohli was soft like MS Dhoni, I don't think he would have scored so many runs,” he said.
(NDTV Sports inputs)