'The time is very near where Virat Kohli will be lifting the World Cup,' states Harbhajan Singh

Ever since Virat Kohli has become the Indian captain, he has taken the Men in Blue to greater heights, especially in the longest format of the game.

India became the No.1 ranked Test team in the world under Kohli's leadership, while he also became the first Indian skipper to win a Test series Down Under. However, Kohli has not been able to replicate the same kind of success as a captain in white-ball cricket.

India suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final. The Men in Blue also crashed out of the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at the hands of New Zealand, despite topping the points table at the end of the league stage.

Virat Kohli is yet to win his maiden ICC trophy as a captain. Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believed that Kohli did not need to win a trophy to prove himself in any way, as his records as a batsman speak for themselves.

However, Harbhajan Singh was of the opinion that winning a World Cup as captain would surely elevate the legacy of the 32-year-old.

“Any captain would like to have that achievement. Winning the T20 World Cup in 2021 would be brilliant. It will not make Virat Kohli very big, he’s already a very big player, but yes it will add on to his legacy of being a World Cup-winning captain,” Harbhajan Singh told India Today.

I don't think Virat Kohli will leave without any trophies: Harbhajan Singh

Virat Kohli in action

Although India have not yet managed to win an ICC event under the leadership of Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh stressed that the Men in Blue remain a very strong side.

He stated that if the team plays to their potential and performs consistently, there is no reason why Kohli cannot win an ICC trophy before hanging up his boots.

With back-to-back T20 World Cups to be held in the next couple of years, Harbhajan Singh believes that Virat Kohli will win an elusive maiden ICC trophy as captain sooner rather than later.

“With the kind of team we have, I don’t think Virat Kohli will leave without any trophies. The time is very near where Virat will be lifting the World Cup, maybe the T20 one or the next one,” Harbhajan Singh said.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Virat Kohli as a leader in white-ball cricket, having had such a successful career so far as a batsman across all three formats.