Indian team needs more match-winners, too dependent on Rohit, Kohli, feels Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was part of one of the greatest Indian teams of all-time which culminated with them winning the World Cup at home in 2011. The string of match-winners made that a perfect side and even though Virat Kohli's side has now managed to win more matches than ever before, it still comes along with a certain vulnerability - one of them being over-dependent on the top-three, something that the former Indian off-spinner found damning.

“If I see from the outside, this team is too dependent on Kohli and Sharma. There is not enough belief in other players, even if they are good. If Kohli or Rohit gets out, 70% of matches slip out of India’s hands. There are only a few players who can come lower down the order and win matches. In our team, we had a lot of belief. Lower down the order, if Yuvraj doesn’t score, Dravid would. We knew someone would do the job. There was a lot of faith and trust,” Harbhajan explained in an Instagram live chat with Rohit Sharma.

Harbhajan further went on to explain that the reason India missed out on the World Cup was due to the lack of team performances, which he cautioned that if not rectified, will further strangle the team in the future.

“In the matches that you and Kohli get out early, or the top three is dismissed cheaply, the match slips away. This is what the team can change. You need to find more match winners. Your World Cup might go well , but you will only reach the semi-final like that. Had we got three or four who did well in the World Cup, we could have won.”