"More talented" Rohit is behind "Hard woker" Virat Kohli, suggests Harbhajan Singh

A phenomenal partnership of 246 runs off 187 balls by Kohli and Rohit in the first ODI in the five match series against Windies in the first ODI, the duo has been receiving praise from all corners of the cricketing world. Both players are currently placed 1st and 2nd on the ODI rankings with the skipper leading the way. Harbhajan Singh, who played quite a few games with both players, has come out compared the two by saying that Rohit is the more talented batsmen between the two but it is Kohli's work ethic that sets him apart from his teammate. 

“Rohit Sharma is a player of a different level. When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play, it is difficult to judge who is better. The No.1 and No.2 ranking is justified for them and for me...both of them are No.1. The pair is No.1 and whenever they bat together, they dominate,” said Harbhajan, reported India Today.

“Virat’s numbers have grown over the last couple of years and if I say there is anybody near him, I’ll have to say Rohit. If I say Rohit isn’t as good a player as Virat, it’ll be unfair on him. Both are No.1 players."

The 29-year-old Kohli scored his 36th ODI century in the first match of the series while Rohit celebrated his 20th ton as India made light work of Windies' 300-plus total. Harbhajan is impressed by his strategy of playing grounded shots and minimum loft. 

“It looked like Virat Kohli was batting on a different wicket altogether. It looked like he came to dominate and won’t stop. The amount of hard work Virat has put in on his game, he doesn’t’ give chances. He plays down the ground mostly, doesn’t play much lofted shots. So, his game is so strong that to get him out, you need to bowl a really good delivery,” an awestruck Harbhajan said. 

“Virat Kohli is getting better day-by-day and nobody knows how to get him out really and I feel, when he stops playing, nobody can break them that easily,” he added.

Harbhajan spoke about Kohli’s early days of his career, as he strongly believes that the hunger for runs has grown as compared to his initials days. His hard work and dedication over the game has dropped him to this level. 

“Virat’s hunger has grown over the years compared to when he came in. The hunger for runs was there from the U-19 days and there was no deficiency in terms of talent. But, his hard work has taken him where he is now. There was a time during the Test series versus West Indies long back when he was getting out constantly while trying to hook and it seemed like he will never get selected again. But, he showed that someone can achieve anything through hard work,” Harbhajan said.

Harbhajan Singh was also equally impressed by Rohit Sharma’s performance and even stated that Mumbaikar is above Kohli. 

“If I speak of Rohit, he hit three-four sixes off Morne Morkel in the T20 World Cup in South Africa on a bouncy Durban track. I understood then only that he has a special talent. And, if I just speak of talent, he will be above Kohli but with hard work, Kohli left everyone behind.

“But, if Rohit works a tad harder, he can leave Kohli behind with the amount of capability he has. But, it is great to see two of the world’s best batsmen are from India and they are dominating the game,” Harbhajan added while praising the Indian opener.