Australian cricketer Steve Smith lavished praise on Virat Kohli on Monday, terming the Indian captain an “amazing player” for his record over the years.
In an interview on Sony Ten Pit Stop, Smith reflected on what makes Kohli a special cricketer. Both players have been the standout batsmen in this generation, raising the bar for their contemporaries with consistent performances across formats.
“I admire Virat a lot, he is an amazing player,” said Smith. “You look at his record now and it’s simply incredible. He has done so much for Indian cricket.
“The way they play the game now and the sheer passion he has got for Indian cricket and his own game. His willingness to improve and get better. His body seems to have transformed over time and he looks so fit and powerful.”
Smith also pointed out what he likes most about Kohli’s game, which didn’t come as a surprise.
“The one thing I admire about him is the way he chases in white-ball cricket. You look at his average in winning chases in ODIs and it is simply phenomenal. He’s so good under pressure, gets the job done more often than not,” he said.
Last week, Cricket Australia had announced that India will play three T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs Down Under from October 2020 to January 2021. Smith said that the Aussies will have to be at their best in order to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which they lost to India in January 2019.
“There will be plenty of challenges for us because India have an incredible team. Their batting line-up is so strong. Virat... [Cheteshwar] Pujara last time here was immovable... [Ajinkya] Rahane is a quality Test player. Then they have got KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. They have got batters everywhere,” said Smith.
“They have got a great batting line-up to go with a strong bowling line-up. They have got [Mohammad] Shami and [Jasprit] Bumrah... Ishant Sharma has been here plenty of times as well. So they have well-rounded team and it is going to be a terrific series this summer, that’s for sure.”