Kane Williamson's Level Is Above Rohit Sharma But A Little Below Virat Kohli - Monty Panesar

Updated - 27 May 2021, 11:53 AM

Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar. Image-Twitter.

Former England spinner Monty Panesar opines on the comparisons made between the New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, and the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli.

Recently, former English skipper Michael Vaughan had said that Williamson would have been hailed as the best batsman if he was an Indian and had the fan following of Kohli.

However, Monty Panesar doesn’t concur with Vaughan’s thoughts. He says that while Kane Williamson is at a higher level than India’s opener Rohit Sharma, the Kiwi skipper is a touch below Virat Kohli. He further reckons that Williamson could replace somebody like Ajinkya Rahane if he were an Indian.

Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli (Image Credit: Twitter)

“I think both are extremely good. Both can steady the team in any situation. If you look at T20Is and ODIs, Virat Kohli is the best chaser. But Kane Williamson plays equally well in all three formats. I think his level is above Rohit Sharma but a little below Virat Kohli. If Kane was an Indian, he would probably be an ideal replacement for Ajinkya Rahane in the Test batting line-up,” Monty Panesar told Sports Yaari.

Monty Panesar explains why he predicted India to win 5-0 against England

Monty Panesar had predicted that India has a good chance to defeat Joe Root‘s side 5-0 in the Test series which will follow the WTC final. He explained the reasons for this belief.

Joe Root, Virat Kohli
Joe Root, Virat Kohli. Image-Twitter.

“The first factor is that the matches will start in August, which has the warmest weather in the year. The second factor is that there are five Test matches taking place in a short span of time and India play well when they have the momentum.

“Thirdly, India’s seam options are brilliant. It wasn’t the case earlier. And the most important is that ever since Alastair Cook retired, England’s top order batting hasn’t been good,” the 39-year old elucidated.

England meanwhile will face New Zealand in a 2-match Test series starting June 2nd, before the Kiwis meet India in the WTC final.

Tagged:

ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Kane Williamson Monty Panesar Virat Kohli