Virat Kohli Would Have Smashed Me Around The Park: Shane Warne

There were very few batsmen in the world who dared to take on Shane Warne, arguably the greatest-ever leg-spinner to have played the game and definitely the most decorated leg-spinner. Warne was nothing less than a menace for the opposition. The legendary spinner, hailed by many as the one who revived leg-spin, terrorised batsmen with his leg-spin and flippers. No surprised then that he finished his illustrious career with a staggering 1001 wickets.

But even the legendary Warne would have thought twice before bowling to current India skipper Virat Kohli as he said that Kohli have smashed him around the park. And while the cricketing world would never know how a dual between the two would have panned out, one thing is pretty clear that it would have been nothing less than exhilarating.

Kohli is redefining consistency with his unprecedented batting prowess. The 30-year old has already carved a special place for him in the game.

Earlier this year, he became the first man to win all three ICC awards. Kohli was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and Cricketer of the Year. In 2018, Kohli was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year and Cricketer of the Year. In doing so, he became only the third man to win the ICC Cricketer of the Year twice and the second to win it in consecutive years.

With Kohli showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, Shane Warner lavished praise on him. Calling himself a ‘huge fan of Virat’, Warne spoke on what Kohli brings to the game apart from his batting.

“I am a huge fan of Virat. What he brings to the world game is passion. He’s not someone who just toes the line and says what he is meant to say, he says what he feels. He is passionate, he is emotional. And I love that, his cricket, what he brings to the table. I love that he is a terrific leader of men. He is an absolute superstar of the world game. And he loves Test cricket so I really respect that as an old-time player who loves Test cricket. I love that he is really pushing it and making it the best form of the game. That’s not to say T20 is not fun, it’s awesome, ODI cricket is awesome. But Test cricket with the history and tradition of the game, I love that he loves it too. I am a huge fan of Virat Kohli,” Shane Warne told India Today.

When asked about a dual with Kohli, Warne said:

“Well I bowled to Virat a few times and I did get him out. But he must have been only 15 or something when he started.

Every time you bowl to the best you want to test yourself against the best. I am sure Virat would have smashed me around the park, just about every time I played but maybe, I would have got him out once or twice,” he added.