Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith has opened up on his bonding with Virat Kohli and tried to describe him as a character. The right-handed batter has labelled Kohli as the most Australian among the Indians due to his willingness to keep getting in the opposition's face.
Kohli, 35, has enjoyed some of his best on-field and off-field battles against the Australians and has enjoyed their respect. The right-handed batter became the first Indian captain to lead the country to a Test series victory Down Under and averages 51.04 with the bat.
Speaking on Star Sports, Smith said he is eagerly waiting to come up against Kohli this summer when India and Australia face one another in a five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"I believe Virat Kohli is Australian in thoughts and action. The way he gets into it at all the way, gets into the challenge and tries to get on top of the opposition. He’s probably most Australian of the Indian players I’d say. We get on quite well, share messages every now and again. Look he’s a great guy and obviously a wonderful player. So, it’s gonna be nice to come up against him again this summer."
"There’s no real, I need to beat him or anything like that" - Steve Smith
Smith went on to assert that he is not competing with Kohli and that his only motive is to help Australia achieve success.
"There’s no real, I need to beat him or anything like that. It’s just about going out and playing and trying to score as many runs as I can and helping Australia have success. That’s what it’s all about."
The five-Test series begins on November 22 in Perth.
