New Delhi, Feb 23: Legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has praised India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli and rated him as the best batsman in the world at the moment.
I will judge my captaincy after 5 years: Kohli
Lauding the charismatic India skipper and batting superstar, Kohli, Warne said he's better than AB de Villiers and others.
Warne said Kohli, who is in a red hot form in all the formats, is a mix of batting greats like Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
During a discussion at "SporTale", India's first sports-themed literary festival, Warne said, "Virat Kohli is the number one batsman in the world. It is uncanny how he has scored so many international hundreds and so quickly. He has the swag of Viv Richards, he is like Tendulkar or Lara. I am a big fan of his and love watching him. He is a bit of a mongrel as a captain and aggressive too and I love that about him. He is different."
Kohli was the leading rungetter in the year 2016 and has slammed 4 Test double tons in the ongoing Test season.
(Kohli chosen as captain of 'Current World Test XI' by Warne)
The 28-year-old India skipper was chosen as the captain of "Current World Test XI" by the spin legend and 2 other former cricketers - Michael Atherton of England and Pakistan's Ramiz Raja.
While talking about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, the 47-year-old legendary bowler who played 145 Tests for his country said that the hosts are the favourites to win the series. He, however, cautioned that the visitors though are underdogs, are still quietly confident.
"India are huge favourites in the upcoming series. They have had a remarkable run and are always difficult to beat at home. We won against them in 2004 but after that we have failed to repeat the same. Australia, nowadays, rely on too few which is a bit of a problem. There is too much reliance on Steve Smith and David Warner and this series will be an opportunity for the others to step up," added the former leg-spinner.
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