Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has the first sight of Virat Kohli afresh in his memory. He recalled how the current India captain had already given him a sign of becoming a popular face in the future.
Speaking on Star Sports' show 'IPL memories', Harbhajan said it was the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore when he first recognized Virat as the upcoming star.
Kohli had smashed Sanath Jayasuriya for a six by coming down the track. “I had heard Virat Kohli’s name before the IPL auction from Lalchand Rajput. In an IPL game, I was the captain of the Mumbai Indians, Sachin paaji was sitting out. Virat Kohli hit Jayasuriya for a six by stepping out of his crease,” Harbhajan said.
“He was not afraid of the fact that a man of Jayasuriya’s stature was bowling to him. That showed me that he is one for the future,” he further added.
Speaking on the same topic, ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan he agnized Kohli in the Indian Premier League. Pathan liked the way Virat stuck with cricket despite enjoying both on and off the field.
“Whenever I used to watch Virat Kohli in the IPL, I used to see only one man. A young man who is enjoying both on the field as well as off the field. But he never sidelined cricket,” Pathan said.
“The good thing is that he always kept his focus on cricket. This is why he is one of the best players in the world right now and it shows how much commitment he has,” he further added.
