Sydney, Sep 10 : "Virat Kohli is an Australian in thought and action"!
Such a remark by an Australian cricket icon, who happens to be one of Kohli's contemporary and a fierce competitor, may sound bit strange.
But ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Australia skipper Steve Smith has remarked that Kohli is an Australian in his thoughts and action.
Since both Smith and Kohli are considered to be the two great players of modern day cricket and they love to express themselves on the field, such an attribute certainly seems interesting.
There are a few distinct similarities between the two as well. They have dominated world cricket for years and led their national sides in the past in all three formats. But they are no more the skippers of their national teams.
Kohli has given up T20I cricket after India's World Cup 2024 triumph, while Smith is not regularly picked in Australia's T20I side. Both play Test and ODI cricket and have been part of World Cup winning sides as well.
At different times, they have been even reprimanded by match officials for their on-field activities.
Their international records are illustrious. Kohli, who has 80 international centuries, including 29 Test tons, has scored 8,846 runs across 113 Tests with a 49.16 average. Similarly, Smith has 9,685 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 56.97 with 32 centuries.
Along with England's Joe Root and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, both Kohli and Smith are considered to be the Fav Four of modern day cricket.
Interestingly, both Kohli and Smith have been facing bit of inconsistency and struggle in international cricket in recent times.
At such a juncture, Smith calling Kohli an Australian is likely to create a bit of surprise among his fans. The former players and fans may share their views in the social networking platforms as well.
Worth mentioning that India will renew their rivalry at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. Both sides will play five Tests in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball game), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
In recent times, India have dominated the Border-Gavaskar Trophy rivalries. India won the last two editions of the BG Trophy held in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Can India dominate the five-match Test series Down Under this time too and retain the BG Trophy? That is bit too early to predict. But as in the past, the mind games and statements by the Aussies about key Indian players have surely begun.
