New Delhi: Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has lavished praise on Team India star Virat Kohli, calling him the greatest batter of the current generation. Amir, who enjoyed several duels with Kohli during his international career, lauded Kohli for winning numerous matches for India from improbable situations across formats.
The former Pakistan pacer said Kohli’s comparisons with the likes of Babar Azam, Steve Smith and Joe Root make him laugh. Kohli is arguably one of the best batters of the present era having dominated bowling attacks in all sorts of conditions around the globe. He has been a run machine for India across formats and has produced some memorable match-winning knocks in pressure matches.
While Kohli has retired from T20Is, he remains a vital cog for India in ODIs and Tests and continues to perform well. Speaking about Kohli’s greatness, Amir said he rates the Indian star as the greatest batter of the generation for being a match-winner for India across formats. The former Pakistan pacer said Kohli can’t be compared to the likes of Babar, Smith and Root.
“Virat Kohli is the greatest player of this generation. I laugh when people compare him with Babar Azam, Steve Smith, or Joe Root. We cannot compare Virat Kohli to anyone because he has won so many matches for India, which seems impossible for any one player. Not just in one format, but in all three formats, Virat is the greatest batsman of this generation,” Kohli said on the Cricket Predicta show.
Mohammad Amir opens up on dismissing Virat Kohli in Champions Trophy 2017 final
Amir and Kohli enjoyed some intense duels on the field and got the better of each other on several occasions. The Pakistan pacer managed to dismiss Kohli twice in 6 innings that the duo came up against each other. Amir’s most memorable wicket of Kohli came in the 2017 Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan where Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men defeated the Men in Blue by 180 runs to lift the elusive trophy.
Amir dismissed Kohli cheaply on 5 in the summit clash and went on to finish with exceptional figures of 3/16 to turn the game in Pakistan’s favour. Speaking about the dismissal, Amir said Kohli’s wicket was an important one as he has a terrific record in chasing and if he managed to stay in the middle, he would have taken the game away from Pakistan.
“If even two of India’s top three got going, India would have easily chased down the target of 339 runs. 338 runs were not enough on that wicket. And Virat’s record in run chases is one of the best of all time. I thought if he settled down we would lose the match. I decided to bowl an outswinger because I thought Virat was ready for the ball to come in. Shadab took a good catch, it was a tough one but he plucked the catch of the tournament. It was a memorable moment for me,” said Amir.
Amir also went on to label Kohli’s wicket in the Champions Trophy 2017 final as one of the most memorable moments of his career alongside his selection in the Pakistan team for the 2009 T20 World Cup.
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir hailed Virat Kohli as the greatest batter of the current generation and said comparing the Team India superstar with the likes of Steve Smith and Babar Azam make him laugh. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
