The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, and his Kiwi counterpart, Kane Williamson are among the best batsmen in international cricket, however, off the field, the duo shares a great camaraderie. Williamson has immense respect for Kohli and considers himself “fortunate” to have known the latter since his under-19 days. 

During a show on Star Sports, Williamson said, “Yes, we are fortunate to play against each other. It has been great to meet at a young age and follow his progress as well as his journey.” When TV presenter Jatin Sapru asked, “When would you say your friendship really blossomed?”, Williamson replied: “It’s been interesting, we’ve had to play against each other for a long period of time.”

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He further elaborated, “But actually, probably over the last few years we just shared our views on the game, some honest thoughts and found some common grounds and despite perhaps playing the game little bit differently in terms of physically and may be our on-field characters I suppose,” he added.

In January, Virat Kohli had recalled how Kane Williamson “always stood out” during the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. The Indian skipper said that Williamson was someone whose batting ability was very different from his contemporaries.

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As per the media release of ICC, Virat said, “I remember playing against Kane (Williamson). He was someone who always stood out in the team, his batting ability was very different from the other players who were around.”

India and New Zealand had faced off in the semi-final of the 2008 tournament, which turned out to be a close-fought affair. In a rain-affected game, India grabbed victory with three wickets and nine balls to spare.