Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey warned against writing off Indian captain Virat Kohli on Friday, ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy in England, reported PTI.
“He is a class player and anyone who wants to write him off in this tournament will probably have to eat humble pie,” said Hussey. “You can’t keep a gun player down for long and I am sure he will be very determined to play well in England and show the world his class again.”
After an incredible run of form in the last year, Kohli’s form has slipped. He scored 46 runs in five innings in the India-Australia Test series and didn’t have the best of times in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, scoring only 264 runs in 10 matches in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s woeful campaign.
But Hussey was confident that Kohli and other Indian batmen’s form would not play a big role.
“I don’t think it will have much affect at all. It is a new tournament in a different country, different team and different conditions. It’s all about starting well, getting some momentum and confidence going early in the tournament,” said Hussey.
The 41-year-old picked Australia to have a “great chance” to win the trophy.
“I think Australia has a great chance. The team looks strong but it is a very tough competition to win as all the teams are very good and you can’t really afford any slip-ups along the way. If the team starts well and gets their confidence up, then they will be hard to stop,” he said, pointing to Steve Smith and David Warner’s form.
“They are both crucial to Australia’s chances, they always are. It is good that they have been playing cricket and are in good form leading into the tournament,” he said.