Mohammad Amir Responds After Being Praised By Virat Kohli

Days after Virat Kohli lauded Mohammad Amir and revealed that he was the toughest bowler he faced during a candid chat show with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, the Pakistan pace spearhead has returned the compliment by praising the Indian batting star and calling him the best in the world.

Kohli, who was dismissed cheaply by Amir during the final of this year’s Champions Trophy, told Aamir Khan:“In the recent times, Mohammad Amir of Pakistan (keeps him on his toes). He is in the top two or three bowlers in the world and the toughest bowlers I have played in my career. You have to be on your ‘A’ Game when you’re facing him or he will strike. Outstanding! Very good bowler!”

Amir has now returned the favour. The speedster, who rocked India’s top order in Champions Trophy, appreciated Kohli’s gesture and also recalled the moment when the India skipper gifted him his bat during last year’s World T20.

“It is a great gesture on his part to praise someone and I am floored at his praise of my bowling. The way he presented me with the bat in Kolkata (during ICC World Twenty20 last year) is an ever green memory for me,” Amir told Wisden India.

Amir dismantled India’s batting lineup, dismissing the in-form trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply to peg India beg in the final. India could not recover from Amir’s outburst and lost the final by 180 runs.

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“The world knows Kohli is the best. You have to give your best against him. If you give him a chance he takes away the game, like he did in the Dhaka Asia Cup game,” said the left-arm pacer. “So I have to focus and do my best to target him. He has the best strike rate and average while chasing so he is also the biggest challenge for bowlers around the world.

“You become a better bowler when you bowl well against a batsman like Kohli,” concluded Amir.

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