Ahead of the highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final, Australian players have shared their thoughts on the esteemed Indian batsman, Virat Kohli. The solitary Test match between the two top-ranked Test teams, India and Australia, is scheduled to take place from June 7 to 11 at The Oval in London. Kohli is hailed as one of the greatest batters ever produced by India and currently stands as their premier active player in the longest format of the game.
With an impressive track record, Virat Kohli has amassed 8416 runs at an average of 48.93 and a strike rate of 55.32. His remarkable statistics include seven double centuries, 28 hundreds, and 28 fifties. In a video released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of this prestigious event, Australian players such as Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, attempted to encapsulate their thoughts on the former Indian captain.
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“The man of India, that he has been for quite a while, and he’s been leading the team for the last decade basically and being so successful,” said Cameron Green. “He’s been a superstar for a long time, loves playing against Australia, often scores runs against us, but hopefully we can keep him quiet this week,” Steve Smith said.
David Warner, the legendary Australian opener who is nearing the end of his Test career, commended Kohli for his world-famous cover drive. Additionally, Usman Khawaja described Kohli as a “competitive” player, and other players including Labuschagne, Starc, and Cummins also expressed their admiration for him.
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“Unbelievable cover drive,” David Warner said. “One of the greats. I mean, all-format great. Hopefully, not so great this week,” No. 1 Test batter Labushchagne said. “Very skillful. Have dominated for a long time. Backbone of the middle-order,” Starc added. “Good player. Always seems up for a fight,” skipper Pat Cummins concluded.
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Virat Kohli, who is preparing for the second edition of the WTC final, boasts an incredible record against Australia. In 24 Test matches, he has amassed 1979 runs, including eight centuries, at an average of 48.26. Notably, he finished as the highest scorer for the Indian team in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India emerged victorious with a 2-1 series win. Kohli contributed significantly with 297 runs, which included a century, at an average of 49.50.
