Legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne heaped praises on Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his “competitiveness” and “desire to win”. A self-proclaimed Kohli fan, Warne also said the 30-year-old Indian cricketer sometime got “a bit too emotional on the field”.
“He’s fantastic. I love watching him bat and I love listening to him. I am a big fan,” Warne told Times of India, before adding, “You know what he does? He stands up for what he believes in. He speaks how he feels and he’s real. He’s emotional, a bit too emotional sometimes on the field. But that’s the part of the charm.”
While Virat Kohli is loved by cricket fans across the globe, he has a love-hate relationship with the Australian crowd. During India’s tour to Australia for the four-match Test series in 2018, Kohli was booed by the Australian crowd a few times. Kohli was also booed by Australian fans during India’s tour Down Under in 2014-15. Warne however feels the Delhi batsman is favourite among fans around the world.
“I think world cricket loves him. Everyone loves Virat Kohli because it’s refreshing to hearing him talk so honestly and openly. He loves confrontation. That’s why he has those 100s in chases. How many? 23, 24? The next best is how much? I can’t remember who’s second. That’s something inbuilt into you. That’s not skill or talent. He’s got a lot of that. That is just pure competitiveness and pure desire – to get the job done,” Warne said.