Team India has not won an ICC tournament since 2013, when MS Dhoni led India to a Champions Trophy triumph in England. They have made it to the knockout rounds of a number of tournaments but couldn’t finish them.
However, with the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup scheduled to take place in India in October and November, it is a great chance for the team to get their hands on the ICC trophy. Notably, India won the ODI World Cup when they co-hosted it the last time in 2011.
One of the members of that World Cup winning team is also part of the current squad. He is none other than the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Virat was a youngster when India lifted the World Cup under Dhoni. And every member of that team dedicated the win to Sachin Tendulkar.
Meanwhile, the former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons that Virat now has the same stature that Sachin had in 2011. The upcoming World Cup in India could be the last chance for the former Indian captain to win the title in the ODI format. So he will hope to end it on a high.
In an interview with News24 Sports, Harbhajan was asked about the expectations from Virat in the upcoming mega event. He replied that if other players can do their roles, then let Virat play his own game because he is unstoppable when he plays his own game.
Bhajji said, “He will have a huge role in the World Cup. He is the kind of figure Sachin Tendulkar was in 2011. The team should actually not put so much of pressure on him and rather take some pressure away from him by taking those responsible decisions that they will do the job.”
Harbhajan also stated that everyone calls Virat a chase master, but it is not just about the chase; he is equally good batting first as well. So let him free in big matches, and he can be pretty dangerous. Bhajji concluded by saying that Virat will have less pressure on his shoulders this time because India has a number of other match-winners who can do the job even if Virat fails.
