Team India's Winning Celebration In 2011 ODI World Cup
Team India's Winning Celebration In 2011 ODI World Cup Credits: Twitter

Indian World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh feels that Indian players would give it their all for their country in the World Cup and cautioned against thinking about playing for a specific person. The former Indian off-spinner was questioned if India would show more respect to Virat Kohli by winning the upcoming marquee event on home soil.

Virat Kohli lifted Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders as MS Dhoni’s team made a victory lap in Mumbai in 2011 when India won the World Cup after 28 years. Tendulkar was moved to tears because it was a proper send-off for his World Cup journey and many believe that Virat Kohli deserves to be on the winning side in the forthcoming marquee event and urged the player to give their best shot to win the championship for the Indian batting maestro.

Speaking at the India Today conclave event, Harbhajan Singh believes that Sachin Tendulkar had earned the respect of the locker room more than anybody else.  The 2011 World Cup winner emphasized that the team should focus on representing the nation rather than any particular person.

“There is a difference between the team of 2011 and the team of 2023. The 2011 team was united; everyone wanted to win it for Tendulkar. I don’t know about the team in 2023. I doubt anyone would have earned the kind of respect that Tendulkar did. I am sure all the players now want to win the World Cup for the country but I doubt if any of the players want to win it for a particular player.”

Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Credits: Twitter

“You play for India. I have played every match for India, not for any individual. This is a great satisfaction for me. Fans wanted to pray for my success. We all pray for India to win; we never pray for Kohli or Dravid to win; we pray for India to win,” Harbhajan Singh said.

Virat Kohli made a stunning return to form, starting from Asia Cup 2022, and went on to score centuries for India in all three formats of the game and could be crucial for the team’s success going into the ODI World Cup in India.

The 34-year-old may be playing in his final ODI World Cup, and fans all around the nation are rooting for the squad to succeed for him. The Indian batting maestro will enter the ODI World Cup with fine form and intends to keep it up going into the event.