When Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli played together for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2008, the Indian batsman had not become a household name — although Kohli had captained U-19 to glory a few months ago. Almost a decade after their first meeting, Kohli had 10 more international hundreds than Taylor.
Speaking to India TODAY, Taylor expressed his joy of watching Kohli grow and how his aggression dents opposition’s spirit. “At the end of the day, when you play the game you have to be true to yourself,” said Taylor.
“And I love his aggression which rubs off on other players and as the opposition you know you are in a contest when you play against him. I don’t think it will change with Virat until the time he does retire. He is a fantastic player to watch and one has to be always competitive against him.”
Most of it is already said by the fans, cricketers, as well as the critics. But Taylor goes on to add that he has been in awe of Kohli’s rise since the RCB days. “Look I have enjoyed watching Virat grow and have followed his progress from the young player of 2008 for RCB to the player he is now.”
The quartet of Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Steven Smith, and Kohli often makes headlines, especially comparing one another’s performance. Taylor believes his captain Williamson and Kohli are similar. “Him and Williamson are very similar. Batsmen who ask questions at a very young age and you can see the class at very young age.
“To see him where he is today and the consistency he has and now with the added responsibility of captaining the country that he has taken with both hands. I am sure for the next however long he wants to play, he will be one of the best players of all time to have played the game. Which is high praise for a player of his age.”
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