India needs more players performing consistently, says Harbhajan while defending Kohli’s captaincy
Harbhajan New Delhi: India needs more players performing consistently so as to take some pressure off Virat Kohli, who is not under any pressure of captaincy, feels veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Kohli’s 89 was not enough for India to chase down a target of 390 in the second One-day International on Sunday in Sydney, and they ended up conceding the series with the 51-run defeat. Australia now lead the three-match series 2-0.
The third and final game will be played on Wednesday in Canberra. While questions have been raised on Kohli’s captaincy in the aftermath, Harbhajan feels that the right-handed batsman is not coming under extra pressure due to his position.
“I don’t think Kohli is under any kind of pressure with captaincy, don’t think it’s a burden for him. I think he enjoys those challenges. He is a leader, who leads from the front and sets an example for the team to do the needful. For the team to win games,” Harbhajan Singh told India Today.
“I don’t think captaincy is affecting Virat Kohli as it’s obvious one guy cannot win you the game. As I said, even after the World Cup, you know you have Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, standing and taking the team forward and scoring most of the runs,” he added.
KL Rahul, vice-captain in place of the injured Rohit, scored 76 in the match, sharing a 72-run partnership with Kohli and then a 63-run stand with Hardik Pandya. “It’s good to see KL (Rahul) performing but you need a couple of more guys consistently doing well for Team India. So, the pressure can shift off a little bit from Virat so that he can bat freely, he can do what he needs and also enjoy the game,” said Harbhajan.