Harbhajan Singh, jo khud ek mahaan spinner rahe hain, ne is baare mein kaha, “Yeh unka niji faisla hai, main kya keh sakta hoon? Dum-kham toh bande mein bahut hai. Woh aur lambe samay tak khel sakte hain. Khelne ko toh main bhi khel sakta hoon.” Yeh baat dil ko chhooti hai, kyunki Kohli jaise khiladi ke jaane se Indian Test team mein ek khali pan sa aa gaya hai. Jab Rohit Sharma aur Ravichandran Ashwin jaise do aur mahaan khiladi bhi Test cricket se door hue, toh team ke liye naye raste dhoondhne ki chunauti aur badi ho gayi. Yeh waqt Indian cricket ke liye thoda sa andhera sa lagta hai, jab ek ke baad ek bade khiladi apne jootey taang rahe hain.
Lekin thodi si roshni bhi dikhayi deti hai. Harbhajan ka yeh kehna ki Kohli mein abhi bhi bahut cricket baki hai, ek ummeed jagata hai. Yaad hai jab 2014 mein Australia ke khilaf Adelaide Test mein Kohli ne 141 run ki woh shandaar inning kheli thi? Us match mein India haar gaya, lekin Kohli ka junoon aur ladne ka jazba sabko yaad hai. Woh ek aisa khiladi hai jo kabhi haar nahi manta, aur shayad yahi wajah hai ki Harbhajan ko lagta hai ki Kohli ka Test cricket mein waqt abhi baki tha. Yeh baat un chhote-chhote khiladiyon ke liye bhi ek prerna hai jo bade stage par apna naam banane ki koshish kar rahe hain. Misal ke taur par, Karun Nair, jo ab Test team mein wapas aaye hain, unke liye yeh ek mauka hai apne aap ko saabit karne ka. Nair ne 2016 mein England ke khilaf Chennai mein 303 run ki triple century banayi thi, jo unki kabiliyat ka saboot hai. Aise khiladiyon ko dekhkar lagta hai ki shayad Indian cricket ka bhavishya utna bhi andhera nahi hai.
Harbhajan ka yeh kehna ki “khelne ko toh main bhi khel sakta hoon” ek halka sa mazak bhi hai, lekin isme ek gehri baat chhupi hai. Unka yeh maan na ki cricket ka junoon umar se bandha nahi hota, ek chhoti si team ya khiladi ke liye badi baat hai. Yaad karo jab 2001 mein Kolkata ke Eden Gardens mein Harbhajan ne Australia ke khilaf 281 run dekar bhi 7 wickets liye the, aur India ne us match ko follow-on ke bawajood jeeta tha. Us waqt Australia ek bahut badi team thi, lekin Harbhajan aur VVS Laxman jaise khiladiyon ne chhoti si ummeed ko jeet mein badal diya. Aaj bhi, jab bade khiladi ja rahe hain, toh naye khiladiyon ko aise hi chhote mauke lekar aage badhne ka himmat dikhana hoga.
Phir bhi, ek baat dil mein khatakti hai. Jab Kohli jaise khiladi, jinhone 148 Tests mein 8,848 runs banaye, woh bhi 27 shatakon ke saath, achanak se apna bat uta dete hain, toh lagta hai ki kuch toh galat hai. Harbhajan ki baat mein yeh ehsaas chhupa hai ki shayad Kohli ka faisla jaldi ka tha. Unki fitness aur form ko dekhkar lagta hai ki woh aur kuch saal Test cricket ke liye perfect the. Yeh dekhkar thodi si udaasi hoti hai ki ek aisa khiladi, jo kabhi team ka dil tha, ab us pitch par nahi dikhayi dega jahan usne itne yaadgaar pal jeeye. Indian cricket ka agla safar naye khiladiyon ke saath shuru ho raha hai, lekin Kohli jaisa khali pan shayad hi koi bhar paye.
