Harbhajan Singh Critiques Virat Kohli's Captaincy in White-Ball Cricket

Reflections on Kohli's Captaincy

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 23: Harbhajan Singh, the former Indian spinner, expressed that Virat Kohli should have achieved more trophies during his time as captain in white-ball formats.

Tom Moody, a former Australian cricketer, described Kohli's tenure as a white-ball captain as a "disappointment."

Both Harbhajan and Moody shared their insights on the 'Rise of Champions' program on JioHotstar, as India gears up to defend its ICC T20 World Cup title next year, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Indian team will kick off their campaign against the USA on February 7, competing in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, and the Netherlands.

Aaron Finch, the 2021 T20 World Cup-winning captain, highlighted the expectations surrounding the Indian team, stating, "With so much experience and talent, people expect them to win. They are a remarkable team, but that reputation comes with its own pressures."

Harbhajan expressed his disappointment regarding Kohli's performance as a white-ball captain, especially given his success in Test cricket. Under Kohli's leadership, India failed to secure major titles, suffering a significant 180-run defeat to Pakistan in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final, narrowly losing to New Zealand by 18 runs in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal, and exiting the group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 after two heavy losses to Pakistan and New Zealand.

He remarked, "With the caliber of players Virat had, they could have won three or four trophies. If they didn’t, there must be reasons, but I still believe he had a strong team."

Sanjay Manjrekar also raised concerns about team selection during the Kohli-Shastri period, stating, "My biggest worry was the team selection under Ravi and Virat."

Conversely, AB de Villiers, a close friend of Kohli and a South African batting legend, offered a different perspective, expressing irritation at the tendency to judge players solely based on World Cup victories. He stated, "It frustrates me that captains are evaluated only on whether they have won a World Cup. It’s unfair to label someone as ineffective just because they haven’t won one."

Tom Moody summarized the Kohli era by saying, "It was a time of high expectations, but ultimately, it led to disappointment."

During Kohli's captaincy, India played 50 T20Is, winning 30, losing 16, with two ties and two no results, achieving a win percentage of 60%. In ODIs, Kohli led India in 95 matches, winning 65 and losing 27, with one tie and two no results.