"Hopefully he gets at least two centuries....": Harbhajan on Virat's return for Australia ODIs

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 13 (ANI): Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed excitement at star Indian batter Virat Kohli's return to the ODI side for the Aussie tour, hoping to see at least two centuries from him during the three-match tour to Australia from October 19 onwards.
Virat, along with Rohit Sharma, will be making their highly anticipated return to Indian colours for the three ODI series against Australia away from home. Having retired from T20Is and Tests already, their comeback to ODI cricket looks like a festival, especially how it is coming Down Under, where they have a fantastic record. With Shubman Gill as their new ODI captain and several new talents like Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh and Tilak Varma having excelled during India A's series against Australia A, they will have to be at their best to stay in contention for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, as they would be 39 and 40, respectively, heading into the tournament.
Speaking on 'Cricket Live', JioStar expert Harbhajan said that Virat is one of the players who thrives on big occasions, and it sets him apart from others.
"He waits for those big opportunities, those high-pressure games, and that's when he shows why he is a champion. When you perform against the best, that is when you earn respect, and he is earned that, especially after scoring those hundreds in Australia and taking on the responsibility of leading the team. Those are the challenges he looks forward to. Australia is his favourite hunting ground, and now he is making his comeback after the IPL. I am really looking forward to seeing him bat in those three ODIs, and hopefully, out of those three, he gets at least two centuries for India," he added.
Harbhajan also termed Virat as the "fitness guru" and urged that no questions or concerns be raised about the star batter's fitness.
"He is fit, probably fitter than many of those currently playing alongside him. In today's international cricket, he is arguably the fittest player out there. Now, I am just looking forward to seeing Virat back in action. Fans have missed watching him, and personally, I would love to see him continue playing the One-Day International format for a while longer because he still has so much to offer. When he retired from Test cricket, I genuinely felt he still had four to five years left in him, not just to play, but to dominate, because that is the kind of batter he is," he added.
The spinner expressed faith that Virat would once again show his "mettle" in Australia.
"We have seen him score tons of runs in those conditions before, and I believe he will do it again. The same goes for Rohit; I am looking forward to both these legends scoring heavily for India and helping the team win matches," he added.
Virat is India's second-highest run-getter in ODIs, with 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings at an average of 57.88, a strike rate of over 93, with 51 centuries and 74 fifties. His best score is 183. In seven ODIs this year, the superstar has made 275 runs in seven innings at an average of 45.83, with a century and two fifties to his name and a best score of 100*.
Virat also has a long-standing love affair with Australian playing conditions, having scored 1,327 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 51.03 and a strike rate of over 89, with five centuries and six fifties in 29 innings and a best score of 133*.
His last five innings against Australia are 54, 56, 85, 54 and 84. His last five innings in Australia are 104, 46, 21, 89 and 63.