Harbhajan remembered a memorable incident during an ODI against Sri Lanka in Kohli’s debut series in 2008.Kohli scored a half-century opening the innings but felt unsatisfied.
“I remember this one incident. Viru [Virender Sehwag] had gotten injured, I suppose. [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 recalled while speaking on Taruwar Kohli’s podcast.This hunger for more, even at an early stage, hinted at Kohli’s future. Harbhajan also highlighted Kohli’s difficulties during his debut Test series in 2011 against the West Indies, where Kohli struggled with self-doubt.
“If I tell you something about his Test cricket, at the very beginning. We were in the 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 he was very disappointed. He had self-doubt, questioned ‘If I am good enough?’ I told him ‘You will shame yourself if you don’t score 10,000 runs. You have the capability of scoring 10,000 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,” Harbhajan shared.
These words proved prophetic as Kohli transformed into one of cricket’s giants over the next 13 years. During this period, he elevated his batting to unprecedented levels, broke numerous records, and became the face of Indian cricket.
“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,” Harbhajan added.
Currently, Kohli stands at 8,848 Test runs from 113 matches. His journey from a young batsman to a cricketing legend serves as a source of inspiration. With a long cricketing season ahead, Kohli is expected to surpass the milestone of 10,000 Test runs, further solidifying his legacy as one of India’s all-time greats.