Harbhajan Singh, legendary India off-spinner, hailed Virat Kohli’s captaincy tenure and credited him for changing the mindset of the Indian team, especially in Test cricket.
Virat Kohli resigned as India's T20I captain in 2021, and he did the same for the ODIs and Tests shortly after. He departed the role without winning an ICC trophy, but former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh says this does not make Kohli a "lesser captain".
"Kohli ki kaptaani mei chaahe aap World Cup nahi jeete (you may not have won a World Cup under Kohli's captaincy), but it doesn't make him a lesser captain or lesser player," said Harbhajan in conversation with Sports Yaari.
Harbhajan went on to say that Kohli instilled in him the belief in facing challenges straight on and refusing to give up without a fight. He recalled the third and fourth Tests of India's 2020-21 tour of Australia, in which they won the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a gallant finish.
Kohli, on the other hand, had to quit the four-Test series after the first match to give birth to his child, leaving Ajinkya Rahane to take up the captain's duties.
India entered the third Test in Sydney on that tour with the series locked at 1-1. Set a daunting target of 408 to chase in the fourth innings, India sent a scare down in the Aussie camp before ending up with 334 for 5. The match ended in a draw.
"Jo usne aag lagayi na team mei (the fire that he ignited in the team), like it may be a target of 400 in the fourth innings of a Test, we'll go for the chase, we won't panic. If we go down, we do it while chasing. .it takes a lot of guts and brain, which Kohli has instilled in the team. So every person has left his legacy,” Harbhajan added.
Harbhajan then praised Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant's knocks in the fourth Test at the Gabba, which India won by three wickets despite chasing a target of over 300 to win the series. While Gill scored 91 runs, Pant's memorable 89 not out led India to a stunning triumph.
"That determination to fight till the end, which Shubman and Rishabh showed to win that Test in Gabba. It was because of the way the team's thinking changed," Harbhajan concluded.
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