India Great Reveals How He Backed Young Virat Kohli To Break Rahul Dravid's Big Record

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently revealed how he backed and motivated star batter Virat Kohli to surpass former India captain Rahul Dravid's tally of international runs. Kohli, who made his debut during a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2008, has gone on to establish himself as one of the greatest batters in cricket history. Although he now plays only ODIs for India, the right-hander has broken numerous records across all formats and is currently the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket.

Speaking about Kohli's debut, Harbhajan said he immediately recognised the youngster's exceptional talent and believed he had the potential to overtake Dravid's international run tally one day.

"He had a lot of talent, but I wasn't sure he would do what he has gone on to do. I remember in 2008 he immediately scored a half-century when Ajantha Mendis was unplayable. At that time, I told him that if he didn't break Rahul Dravid's numbers, he wouldn't have justified his talent. There was a huge change in Kohli in just two years. His hunger and desire to win were different," said Harbhajan on Prakhar Gupta podcast.

During that series against Sri Lanka, Kohli scored 159 runs in five matches, including a half-century in the fourth ODI. India went on to win the series 3-2.

As Harbhajan had predicted, Kohli eventually moved past Dravid on the list of highest run-scorers in international cricket. He has now amassed 28,527 runs across formats and remains active in ODI cricket. Dravid, meanwhile, ended his international career with 24,208 runs from 509 matches.

"The improvement in fitness levels in Indian cricket should be credited fully to Kohli. No one takes Indian cricket's fielding lightly anymore, and that's a credit to Virat Kohli and his team. He changed the entire system of fitness. And his hunger is still the same: to be the one to win the match for India. He's so passionate, and that's the difference between him and everyone else," said Harbhajan.

Kohli will now feature in the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand, kick-starting from November 4.

Featured Video Of The Day

Spain's Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace