One of the finest batters of his generation, Virat Kohli wasn’t always the sort of batter he is at present. Born in Delhi, Virat had a sort of flamboyance to his game when he first started playing but has gradually emerged as a more mature player who knows how to pace his game, depending upon the situation he is batting in. Those who played with him during the early days, see the sort of difference Kohli has brought about in his game. One such cricketer is Harbhajan Singh who was an established name in the Indian team when Virat played his first few games.
“I remember this one incident. Viru [Virender Sehwag] had gotten injured I supposed. [Ajantha] Mendis was getting everyone out. He comes in; young guy, free energy. He batted and scored a fifty. He asked me ‘Paaji, how did I play? I said, ‘Very well’. He then said ‘Paaji, I shouldn’t have gotten out, should have smacked him more’. Loved the attitude,” Harbhajan said about Kohli during a chat on Taruwar Kohli’s podcast.
While Kohli has gone on to break some of the biggest records in the game, his journey hasn’t been all smooth. Harbhajan revealed that even Kohli had doubts about his career after a few unsuccessful outings, and had to be given course correction by the Turbonator.
“If I tell you something about his Test cricket, at the very beginning. We were in West Indies. On that tour, Fidel Edwards (former West Indies quick) had troubled him a lot, getting him out either LBW or against the short ball. He was getting out time and again, so obviously was very disappointed. He had self-doubt, and questioned ‘If I am good enough?’ I told him ‘You will shame yourself if you don’t score 10000 runs. You have the capability of scoring 10000 runs in Test cricket. And if you don’t, it’ll be because of your own fault’. After that, what Kohli has done is a once-in-a-lifetime exception,” said Bhajji.
“I have seen him change. His diet, his mindset – ‘That I don’t want to be just an ordinary player. I want to be someone who people will know for a long time’. The stubbornness I saw in myself, Kohli has a lot more of it. I want to be that guy winning games and scoring hundreds for India. He was scoring hundreds back-to-back in Australia. It was the first time India chasing 400 runs… and they are going after it. We may lose but we’ll fight. That attitude of keep going, that’s what makes you a player. Kohli has left an everlasting impact on Indian cricket,” he added.
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