Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison has sparked a big debate ahead of India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. Harmison has described Virat Kohli as the greatest cricketer of the last three decades and placed him above Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Harmison believes that Virat Kohli’s dominance in the modern era, coupled with his ability to handle the constant pressure and distractions of today’s game, sets him apart from everyone else. The former Indian captain has made an extraordinary career in ODI cricket.
Steve Harmison calls Virat Kohli the ‘greatest cricketer’ of the last three decades
In 302 matches, the dashing right-handed batsman has so far scored over 14,000 runs at an astonishing average of around 58. He has 51 centuries and 74 fifties to his name in the format.
As Kohli prepares to return to action with the Australia tour, Harmison pointed out that the iconic batsman not only gives strength to India’s batting but also gives the team a fearless attitude.
Also read: Before Australia tour, Suryakumar Yadav leaked Gautam Gambhir’s bold call regarding Sanju Samson.
TalkSport Cricket quoted Steve Harmison as saying, “I put Virat Kohli at number one over Sachin Tendulkar, and that would raise a lot of eyebrows. But I thought his career, and what he has to do in his career, I thought the way the game has changed during these last ten years, Virat has to deal with a lot of things off the field that will affect him on the field. I think for me, in the last 20-30 years, the greatest cricketer who has played this game – you remove Shane Warne, because he has come so long ago – I think it is Virat Kohli.
Steve Harmison says Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma don’t need domestic cricket to prove themselves
Meanwhile, discussions have intensified regarding the future of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in India’s plans for the ICC World Cup 2027. Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently mentioned that senior players should play in domestic cricket to stay in contention.
But Harmison believes that considering the experience of Rohit and Virat, the selectors and team management should not have such expectations from them. They rarely play domestic cricket and the commentator defended both of them by saying that they have been playing consistently in India.
The Englishman mentioned that Virat and Rohit are constantly on the road with India, and with the amount of cricket they play, he does not feel the batting icons need to play domestic cricket.
Also read: Mitchell Starc signs contract with T20 franchise ahead of Ashes 2025-26 series
Steve Harmison predicts ‘first round knockout’ for India without Virat Kohli
Even commentators warned that leaving Kohli out of the ICC World Cup 2027 could backfire badly, describing it as a potential “first round knockout” for India. He described Kohli as irreplaceable given his incredible record of scoring more than 8000 runs in run chases with 28 centuries at an average of 64.
Harmison signed off by saying, “If Agarkar is looking for a fight, he might get one, but unfortunately he’s not going to win. It’s not going to go very far. If he tries to go in, especially without Virat, it could be a massive knockout in the first round.”
