Harbhajan Singh’s strong support for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
On the sidelines of ILT20, Harbhajan, speaking to the media, highlighted the unfortunate situation where Rohit and Virat’s future is being affected by individuals who have not achieved similar milestones in cricket. He highlighted his own experience as a player to underline the importance of respecting the achievements and continued form of legends like Rohit and Kohli.
“It’s beyond our understanding. I may not be able to answer it because I was a player myself and what I saw happened to me too. It happened to a lot of my teammates, but it’s a shame. We don’t talk about it or have a discussion about it,” Harbhajan said.
Both players have retired from the Test and T20 formats but remain active in ODIs, with Kohli recently scoring back-to-back centuries in the home series against South Africa and a fitter Rohit posting consistent big scores, including a 121 not out. Harbhajan hailed them as steadfast leaders and role models who demonstrate the qualities required to become champions, and emphasized that their position in the Indian cricket set-up should not be questioned lightly.
“I am so happy when I see a player like Virat Kohli who is still going strong. It’s a bit of a shame that people who decide their future have achieved little” added Harbhajan.
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Harbhajan shares his concerns about the quality and future of the Indian Cricket field
Besides supporting the veterans, Harbhajan expressed concern over the quality of cricket pitches in India, which he said are too bowler-friendly and disadvantage batsmen by reducing scoring opportunities. He criticized the trend of preparing rank-turning surfaces that favor spinners with the new ball, arguing that such surfaces hinder the development of both batters and bowlers, especially strike spinners.
Harbhajan urged the cricket board and ground authorities to return to more balanced pitches that provide a fair challenge to both batting and bowling units, similar to conditions abroad where Indian batters are finding more opportunities to build innings. He also highlighted the impact of T20 cricket on players’ patience and emphasized the need for preparation for longer formats to maintain India’s competitiveness in international cricket.
Harbhajan concluded by recognizing the success of the ongoing activities ILT20 competition in the UAElauding its role in expanding cricket’s footprint in the region and providing opportunities for players from neighboring countries to compete alongside international stars.
“They have to start playing on good tracks. We don’t give our batsmen much chance to make runs. When we tour abroad, our batsmen have a chance to make runs because the pitch is good for batting. The bowlers have to work hard. That’s why I think it’s high time that the pitches made in the last 10-12 years are very bowler friendly, especially spinner friendly. Spinners are bowling with the new ball. I think we have to change that trend somewhere. I feel me it’s not the right thing to do. Our team is so solid and we played well in England. We will win even if we play for five days. Why do you want to play two and a half days of Test cricket? concluded Harbhajan.
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