Team India is all set for their first international fixture after completing an emphatic victory over England earlier this year. Virat Kohli and his boys, who were busy performing their duties for their respective Indian Premier League franchises before the tournament took a pause due to COVID-19, will now be seen in a high-voltage clash against New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, scheduled to take place at Southampton from June 18-22.
With the clash being highly anticipated by both the fans and former cricketers, many have already started drawing comparison between the two skippers involved – Kohli and Kane Williamson.
In a latest interview with Sports Yaari, former England spinner Monty Panesar also opined his views on the upcoming WTC final, in which the cricketer went on to make a huge claim about Kohli’s deputy Ajinkya Rahane, while comparing both the skippers.
“I think both are extremely good. Both can steady the team in any situation. If you look at T20Is and ODIs, Virat Kohli is the best chaser. But Kane Williamson plays equally well in all three formats.”
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“I think his level is above Rohit Sharma but a little below Virat Kohli. If Kane was an Indian, he would probably be an ideal replacement for Ajinkya Rahane in the Test batting line-up,” said Panesar.
Panesar on India vs England Tests
Panesar also feels that it would be a cakewalk for Kohli and his unit in the upcoming five-match Test series against the hosts and also explained the reason behind it.
“The first factor is that the matches will start in August, which has the warmest weather in the year. The second factor is that there are five Test matches taking place in a short span of time and India play well when they have the momentum,” said Panesar.
“Thirdly, India’s seam options are brilliant. It wasn’t the case earlier. And the most important is that ever since Alastair Cook retired, England’s top order batting hasn’t been good.”
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