The upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign starts for India, with a match against Australia on Sunday. India, who were crowned champions in 2011, are expected to feature superstars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, and Mohammed Shami in their final ODI World Cup. In 2011, the Indian squad was focused on winning the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar, leading to the question of whether the same unity exists for Virat Kohli this time. Harbhajan Singh provided an interesting response during an interview with India Today.
Harbhajan Singh stated that he believes the current Indian team for the 2023 World Cup is not as united as the 2011 team. He highlighted the respect and unity the players had for Tendulkar, which motivated them to win the World Cup for him. However, he is unsure if the same level of unity exists for Kohli in the current team.
The former spinner emphasized that while all the players want to win for the country, Tendulkar’s influence and respect in the team were unparalleled. He mentioned that players like MS Dhoni also earned respect, but no player since then has reached the same level as Tendulkar. Harbhajan believes that Kohli wants to win for the country, and winning for himself would be a bonus.
Harbhajan reiterated that playing for India and representing the flag is the ultimate goal. He shared his personal experience, stating that it didn’t matter who the captain was during his time, as long as he was playing for India. The former spinner firmly asserted that it’s always about India winning, rather than any individual player.
Overall, Harbhajan Singh expressed his belief that there was a significant difference in unity between the 2011 World Cup-winning team and the current team. While Tendulkar commanded immense respect, he questioned whether the same level of unity exists for Kohli. Nonetheless, the ultimate objective remains bringing glory to India and winning the World Cup for the country.