Australian players praise Indian batter ahead of WTC final
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London [UK]June 7 (ANI): Ahead of the ICC Test World Cup final against Team India, Australia’s top players have praised Virat Kohli for his batting ability, consistency and performance in all formats.
In a video released by Star Sports, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, skipper Pat Cummins and Steve Smith expressed their admiration for Virat.
“It’s hard to get the better of him, the start is crucial and so is the first 30 balls,” Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood said.
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon said facing Virat while bowling felt like “a whole nation against you”.
“When you face Virat while bowling, you feel like a whole nation has come against you. If you create a chance against Virat or take him out, you become the most hated cricketer in the world very quickly. I had the opportunity to bowl with Sachin Tendulkar many years ago, now I have the privilege of bowling with Virat, who has long been considered the best in the world. The fact that he has performed at this level for so long is all credit.” Australian captain Cummins said that when Virat bats, the whole of India watches his game.
“When Sachin was batting and now when Virat is batting, the whole country is watching the game. If you get a little distracted, he and Steve Smith are the players who are going to come at you. He got me a few times, I got him a few times,” he said.
Steve Smith said that Virat’s ability to attack bowlers is his greatest strength.
“Virat’s strength is the way he attacks the players and puts pressure on them. He scored all over the world. His ability to score at both ends of the wicket and his patience are very great. He has been a great player in all formats for a long time. When he gets going, he’s one of the best batsmen to watch,” he said.
Virat seems to love playing against Australia. In 24 Tests against Australia, he scored 1,979 runs at an average of 48.26, with eight tons and five fifties. His best score is 186. In all formats against Australia, Virat has played 92 matches in which he has scored 4945 runs at an average of 50.97. He scored 16 centuries and 24 fifties against the Australians.
Australia topped the WTC table with 11 wins, three losses and five draws in 19 matches, while India finished second with 10 wins, five losses and three draws.
India squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (Wak), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (weekly).
Suriyakumar Yadav, Mukesh Kumar and Yashaswi Jaiswal were named as substitutes for the high-stakes match.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Liane, Todd Murphy, Michael Nesser, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner. Subs: Mitch Marsh and Matthew Renshaw. (ANI)