Kolkata: Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best willow-wielders in recent times and his position in the ICC’s rankings for batsmen (number one in ODI’s and T20I’s ) adds weight to that statement.
His 47 hundreds-30 in ODI’s and 17 in Tests speak volumes of his calibre.
Over years, there have been any bowlers who gave got the better of the talismanic right-hander on many occasions like Englishman James Anderson and Australian Nathan Lyon but the 28-year-old had a surprising choice when asked about the toughest bowler he has faced in international cricket so far.
Speaking at a chat show with actor Aamir Khan, the Indian skipper said, “Keeping in the mind the recent bowlers I have gone up against it has to Mohammad Amir of Pakistan. He is in the top two or three bowlers in the world and the toughest bowlers I have played in my career. He is one of those bowlers who demands that you bring your ‘A’ Game while facing him. Or he will strike. Outstanding! Very good bowler!”
Although, Amir’s name as an answer to this question might seem to be a bit surprising, given the fact that the left-arm speedster has dismissed Kohli in international cricket, yet it is not a surprise to see the Indian captain praising the 25-year-old.
Ahead of the Asia Cup last year, Kohli had said, “I am very happy to see Amir back in action. He understood his mistake and has corrected himself and came back. He has always been an outstanding bowler.”
The Indian skipper also had gifted him a bat before their World T20 match in Kolkata last year.
One of Amir’s most deadliest spells came against the Indians in the final of the Champions Trophy earlier this year where he dismantled the Indian top-order in their pursuit of 339. Amir dismissed India’s best batsmen in the tournament- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli to trigger a collapse and hand Pakistan an amazing victory over their arch-rivals in a big final.