When Harbhajan Singh, a former cricket player and Kohli’s teammate, reminisced about that period, he said that the cricketer was quite unhappy with his performance. The former spinner then gave Kohli motivation and encouragement to push boundaries, telling him he is capable of hitting 10,000 runs in a Test match.
Virat Kohli has been considered the Indian cricket team’s future star since his U19 days. Although he made his international debut in 2008, it took him some time to be called up to the Test squad because the seniors were still in place. In the grand scheme of things, he eventually made his red-ball debut at Kingston against the West Indies in 2011.
But for the cricketer, neither the three-match Test series nor the debut went smoothly. After losing to pacer Fidel Edwards on several occasions, Kohli began to question his own skills.
“Let me start by telling you a little bit about his Test cricket career. We were in the Caribbean region. During the tour, he was frequently tormented by former West Indies quick Fidel Edwards, who got him out either LBW or against the short ball. He was clearly quite frustrated since he was getting out often, Harbhajan said on the Taruwar Kohli podcast.
He doubted himself and asked, ‘Am I good enough?’ “You will shame yourself if you do not score 10,000 runs,” I told him. In Test cricket, you are capable of scoring 10,000 runs. Furthermore, it will be your own fault if you don’t. What Kohli did after that was a once-in-a-lifetime exception, he continued.
For Indian cricket, Kohli has created an enduring legacy : Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan revealed that Kohli possessed the same will to succeed and win games for India as he did when he was a player. The 44-year-old continued by describing how the previous captain of India gave the side a fighting mentality that led to several away wins and significant runs from Kohli, who didn’t want to be just another player.
“I’ve saw him evolve. His way of thinking and eating, “I don’t want to be just another player,” I want to become a well-known figure in society for a very long period. Kohli has a lot more stubbornness than what I saw in myself. That person who wins games and scores hundreds for India is who I want to be. In Australia, he was scoring hundreds one after the other. India was pursuing 400 runs for the first time, and they intend to keep doing so.
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Even if we lose, we won’t give up. It’s that persistent mindset that distinguishes a player. Harbhajan continued, “Kohli has had a lasting effect on Indian cricket.
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