Indian skipper Virat Kohli has shown that with hard work anything is possible and you don't need to be born talented, with time your dedication pays off. Recently, even veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh also acknowledged the same fact.
Virat and Rohit Sharma guided Indian cricket team to victory in the first ODI against West Indies. It was a joint effort by both. While Kohli scored 140, Rohit added an unbeaten 152 runs.
India chased down 323 runs in Guwahati and once again it was the top order which did all the work without needing the support of their middle order.
When Harbhajan was asked to rate the best among the two, he said, "Rohit Sharma is a player of a different level. When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play, it is difficult to judge who is better. The No.1 and No.2 ranking are justified for them and for me...both of them are No.1. The pair is No.1 and whenever they bat together, they dominate.
When India was playing a home series against Australia, they won't allow anybody below No.3 to bat. These two showed again that they dominate whenever they bat together and not that they give chances while batting. They are exceptional players."
Praising Kohli for his 36th ton, 60th overall, Harbhajan said it looked like he was batting on a different pitch. "It looked like Virat Kohli was batting on a different wicket altogether. It looked like he came to dominate and won't stop. The amount of hard work Virat has put in on his game, he doesn't' give chances. He plays down the ground mostly, doesn't play much-lofted shots. So, his game is so strong that to get him out, you need to bowl a really good delivery," Singh said. "Virat Kohli is getting better day-by-day and nobody knows how to get him out really and I feel, when he stops playing, nobody can break them that easily," he added.
If Kohli is good, Rohit isn't behind. "Virat's numbers have grown over the last couple of years and if I say there is anybody near him, I'll have to say Rohit. If I say Rohit isn't as good a player as Virat, it'll be unfair on him. Both are No.1 players," Harbhajan said.
Comparing Virat and Rohit's growth since their debut, the off-spinner said, "Virat's hunger has grown over the years compared to when he came in. The hunger for runs was there from the U-19 days and there was no deficiency in terms of talent. But, his hard work has taken him where he is now. There was a time during the Test series versus West Indies long back when he was getting out constantly while trying to hook and it seemed like he will never get selected again. But, he showed through hard work that someone can achieve anything through hard work."
"If I speak of Rohit, he hit three-four sixes off Morne Morkel in the T20 World Cup in South Africa on a bouncy Durban track. I understood then only that he has a special talent. And, if I just speak of talent, he will be above Kohli but with hard work, Kohli left everyone behind.
But, if Rohit works a tad harder, he can leave Kohli behind with the amount of capability he has. But, it is great to see two of the world's best batsmen are from India and they are dominating the game," Harbhajan added.
