“They could have won 3 or 4 trophies” - Indian legend’s massive claim on Virat Kohli’s captaincy ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh claims Team India underachieved in ICC events under Virat Kohli, considering the strength of their side. Despite often being at the top of the rankings during Kohli's reign, India went trophyless in ICC tournaments across formats.

Kohli predominantly led the side from 2015 to 2022, finishing with an excellent record of 135 wins in 213 outings across formats. However, the side suffered heartbreaking losses in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2021 World Test Championship finals.

They also endured a stinging semifinal loss to New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup after a dominant run through the league stages.

Talking about Kohli's captaincy stint on JioStar ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, Harbhajan said (via NDTV):

"The kind of team Virat had, they could have won three or four trophies. If they did not win, there must be a reason, but I still think he had a solid team."

Another former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, felt team selection was a constant issue during Kohli's captaincy.

"Team selection under Ravi and Virat was always my biggest concern," he stated.

Despite the disappointments in ICC events, Team India achieved tremendous results under Virat Kohli in red-ball cricket. The Asian giants won a Test series in Australia for the first time in 2018-19 under the champion cricketer.

"Irritates me that people always judge a captain solely on whether they have won a World Cup" - AB de Villiers

Former South African captain AB de Villiers defended Virat Kohli by slamming those who base a captain's performance solely on World Cup results. Despite the underachievements in white-ball ICC events, India won 95 out of their 145 T20I and ODI games under Kohli.

"Frankly, it irritates me that people always judge a captain solely on whether they have won a World Cup. Saying 'that guy is useless because he has not won a World Cup' is unfair," said De Villiers (via the aforementioned source).

Virat Kohli remains India's most successful Test captain, winning 40 out of 68 matches during his tenure. Furthermore, Team India was the No. 1-ranked side in world cricket for the majority of Kohli's captaincy tenure.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran