'Bada khiladi wahi hota hai jo...': Harbhajan Singh's bold statement on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma ahead of Champions Trophy 2025

Harbhajan Singh has thrown his weight behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amidst the batting fiasco ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 which is slated to get underway from February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai. India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar along with Rohit Sharma announced India's 15-member Champions Trophy squad on January 18.

Harbhajan Singh comes to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's rescue amidst lean patch

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's performance came under scanner after duo's dismal outing with the bat in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.

While Rohit scored a just 31 runs across three matches and five innings, averaging a dismal 6.20, Kohli could only notch 190 runs in five matches and nine innings, averaging 23.75, despite scoring a century in series opener in Perth. Kohli's struggles against balls outside the off-stump were particularly evident, with Scott Boland dismissing him four times during the series.

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Despite these recent struggles, India's spin legend Harbhajan Singh is confident that Rohit and Virat will bounce back strongly in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

"Bada khiladi wahi hota hai jo comeback karna jaanta hai [A great player is one who knows how to make a comeback]. Virat and Rohit are players of immense stature, and they will shine in the Champions Trophy. We've seen how they perform in big tournaments - the ICC World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup are prime examples," Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com.

"Rohit, Virat, Shami, and Bumrah are match-winners. Every player faces tough phases, but these big players know how to bounce back. I am confident Rohit and Virat will come out all guns blazing in the Champions Trophy and lead India to the title," he added.

India will start their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. But all eyes will be on the 'mother of all battles' i.e India versus Pakistan clash which is slated to be played on February 23. India's final league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.

India will look to end their 12-year-long Champions Trophy title drought in 2025 as they last time they lifted the trophy in 2013 under MS Dhoni's captaincy. They made it the Champions Trophy 2017 final, where they faced their arch-rivals Pakistan. However, they ended up on a losing side and missed shot at the coveted trophy.

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India will win against Pakistan: Harbhajan Singh

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh believes the India-Pakistan encounter will create an electrifying atmosphere in Dubai. He is confident that India will emerge victorious this time.The last meeting between India and Pakistan in Dubai took place in 2022, where the Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a five-wicket defeat.

"This match is happening after a long time, and there's always excitement and buzz around it. Dubai is home to a large number of Indians and Pakistanis, so the atmosphere will be electric with huge support for both teams. But I believe India is going to emerge victorious," Harbhajan concluded.

India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja

India's schedule for Champions Trophy 2025:

India vs Bangladesh: February 20 (Dubai)
India vs Pakistan: February 23 (Dubai)
India vs New Zealand: March 2 (Dubai)
Semi-final (if qualified): March 4 (Dubai)
Final (if qualified): March 9 (Dubai)