“There is a reason why he is called king”

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh praised Virat Kohli for his pressure-absorbing knock within the 2023 World Cup match in opposition to Australia in Chennai on Sunday. Harbhajan commented that along with his efficiency, the batter as soon as once more proved why he is known as “king” and “chase master”.

The Men in Blue beat the Aussies by six wickets within the World Cup conflict performed in Chepauk. Batting first after successful the toss, Australia have been bowled out for 199 in 49.3 overs. In the chase, India crumbled to 2/3 in two overs. However, Kohli (85 off 116) and KL Rahul (97* off 115) added 165 for the fourth wicket to make sure a comfy win for India. They acquired over the road in 41.2 overs.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan hailed [0:35] Kohli for his great innings.

“There is a reason why he is called King Kohli. Chase master or whatever you want to call him, he is the king. It was an excellent knock. There was a time when it seemed like Australia might win the game. Kohli did get a life when he tried to pull [Josh] Hazlewood and that catch was dropped. But, after that, Kohli did not give any chance and handled the chase very well,” the previous cricketer mentioned.

Harbhajan added that the pitch in Chennai was sluggish and never simple to bat on, making Kohli’s knock ever extra praiseworthy.

“Virat Kohli batted with a lot of responsibility and showed why he is the biggest player and is held in such high esteem,” the 43-year-old acknowledged.

Kohli struck solely six fours in his affected person knock earlier than perishing to Hazlewood, trying a pull.

“If Virat Kohli’s catch had been taken, the result could have been in their [Australia’s] favor” – Harbhajan

There was just one blemish in Kohli’s knock. When on 12, he tried to drag Hazlewood however top-edged the supply. Mitchell Marsh, nonetheless, put down the catch following some miscommunication with Alex Carey.

Harbhajan opined [2:50] that the results of the match may have been totally different if the catch had been held.

“If Virat Kohli’s catch had been taken, India would have been 20/4. We had Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin left to bat, but I feel Australia would held the upper hand and the result could have been in their favor,” the previous off-spinner mentioned.

Harbhajan additional added that Kohli was disenchanted along with his eventual dismissal not as a result of he missed out on a hundred, however as a result of he couldn’t end the match.

“He was a bit disappointed when he got out. That was not because he missed out on a hundred, but because he could not finish the game. We have often seen that he gets dismissed very few times in chases [once he is set]. He would have been happier if he had scored 50 and had finished the game,” Harbhajan concluded.

Following Kohli’s dismissal, Rahul and Hardik Pandya (11* off 8) took India previous the end line with 52 balls to spare.