I admire Virat Kohli at lot: Steve Smith

Virat Kohli or Steve Smith? The opinion oscillates in the cricketing alleys. But what does Smith Steve think? Smith, who turned 31 on Tuesday, says that he admires Virat Kohli a lot.

“I admire Virat (Kohli) a lot, he is an amazing player. You look at his record now... simply incredible. He has done so much for India in cricket. You know the way they play the game now and the sheer passion he has got for Indian cricket,” Smith said during a live interaction on Sony Ten Pit Stop show.

Smith also praised how Kohli has improved his fitness over the years. “His willingness to improve and get better. His body seems to have transformed over time and he looks so fit and powerful."

But if Smith had to single out one feature about Kohli’s game that makes him one of the best in the business, that would be the ability to hunt down totals. 

The Aussie said, “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.”

Smith, who recently replaced Kohli from the top in the ICC Test rankings, thinks that India’s tour of Australia scheduled for later this year will be a terrific series.

“Plenty of challenges I think because India are an incredible team. Their batting line-up is so strong. Virat... (Cheteshwar) Pujara last time here was immovable... (Ajinkya) Rahane a quality Test player. Then they have got KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. They have got batters everywhere,” Smith said.

Smith thinks that India have a complete team comprising of a strong bowling line-up. “They have got a great batting line-up to go with a strong bowling line-up. They have got (Mohammed) Shami and (Jasprit) Bumrah...Ishant Sharma has been here plenty of times as well. So, a well-rounded team and it is going to be a terrific series this summer that’s for sure,” he added.