New Zealanders Played With Kohli's Ego To Get Him Out, Says Harbhajan Singh

Following India's humiliating defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their ICC T20 World Cup Super 12 stage clash in Dubai, former spinner Harbhajan Singh analysed Virat Kohli's dismissal in the match, saying the Kiwis "hurt the Indian skipper's ego" to get him out.

He further added that the shot played by the Indian captain is not his natural game, and he should have avoided it. Virat scored just nine runs off 17 deliveries on Sunday.

"They played with Virat Kohli's ego. They said that they will not give him the runs, if you come at the start and play the big shot, it's fine but they will not give the singles. When you hurt a big player's ego by not giving the singles, they play a shot like Virat Kohli played today," said Harbhajan Singh while speaking on Star Sports.

"Virat Kohli's shot is not his natural game. He tried what he doesn't do. If he had hit the same ball over cover or played after stepping out, I feel that would have been a better option," he added.

India is now almost out of contention from the qualification race after their back-to-back defeats in the mega sporting spectacle. They will have to win all their remaining three games with a huge margin and in turn, Afghanistan should also defeat New Zealand to keep India's chances alive for the next round.