Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has revealed that he recognised Virat Kohli’s exceptional talent early in his career but even he could not fully predict how big a superstar the young batter would eventually become. Harbhajan also recalled giving Virat Kohli a bold challenge in 2008, telling him that he needed to surpass Rahul Dravid’s international run tally to truly justify his talent.
Virat Kohli made his international debut during a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2008. Since then, he has established himself as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game. Although Kohli now represents India only in ODIs, he has broken numerous records across formats and is currently the second highest run-scorer in international cricket.
Speaking on a podcast, Harbhajan Singh looked back at Virat Kohli’s early days and recalled how the youngster impressed him with his batting ability.
Harbhajan remembered that Virat Kohli scored a half-century in the 2008 Sri Lanka series, even when Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis was proving extremely difficult to handle. While Harbhajan could see Kohli’s potential, he admitted that he was unsure whether the youngster would achieve everything he eventually went on to accomplish.
The former spinner said he had challenged Virat Kohli to surpass Rahul Dravid’s international run tally, believing that reaching such a milestone would be a way for him to fulfill his enormous potential. Harbhajan also pointed out that Kohli underwent a major transformation within just two years, particularly in terms of his hunger for success and determination to win matches for India.
During the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2008, Virat Kohli scored 159 runs, including a half-century in the fourth ODI. India won the series 3-2.
Over the years, Virat Kohli went on to achieve the milestone Harbhajan had spoken about. He has scored 28,527 international runs across formats and continues to play ODI cricket. Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, ended his international career with 24,208 runs in 509 matches.
Harbhajan Singh also credited Virat Kohli with bringing a major improvement in fitness standards and fielding in Indian cricket. According to Bhajji, Virat’s influence and the efforts of his teammates helped establish a culture in which Indian cricket no longer takes fielding lightly. He believes Kohli deserves significant credit for raising the importance of fitness and fielding standards within the Indian team and we certainly agree with Harbhajan Singh, what do you say?
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