Kohli is an intense cricketer: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has heaped laurels on Indian captain Virat Kohli by saying that he is an intense cricketer who thrives on.

Speaking during a session at the SporTale - sport themed literary festival in Pune, Harbhajan said, "Virat is a very intense cricketer. He likes to take on the responsibility and expects the same from his team. That has really worked well and the team has performed beyond expectations."

Comparing Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan said they played in different eras and faced different bowlers and comparison would be unfair.

"Still I will place Sachin Tendulkar higher than Kohli because the kind of bowlers he faced were better than what they are now," he said.

He however said the standard of bowling has fallen over the years.

"Overall cricketing standards have gone down over the years. In a T20 match a team takes 4-5 wickets in 10 overs and then expects the same in a one-day match," he said.

He added: "On English pitches one has to wait for maybe 30-35 overs to get two wickets."