“Got him once or twice” – Mitchell Starc keen to bowl against Virat Kohli in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Australian ace pacer Mitchell Starc is looking forward to bowling to modern-day Indian legend Virat Kohli in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The left-arm pacer pointed out that he has dismissed Kohli in the past but the latter enjoys a good record against him as well.
Notably, Starc has dismissed Kohli four times in Tests. The right-handed batter has scored 236 runs in 394 deliveries at an average of 59 against the Australian.
Mitchell Starc told Star Sports:
“I enjoy my battles with Virat Kohli just because we’ve played a lot of cricket against one another. I always have some good battles. I’ve obviously got him once or twice and he’s no doubt scored a fair few runs against me. So, it’s always a good contest and one we both enjoy.”
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Overall, Virat Kohli has amassed 1352 runs in 13 Tests in Australia at an average of 54.08, comprising six tons and four half-centuries. Meanwhile, Starc has 217 scalps in 50 Tests at home.
“One of those two is going to make a lot of runs” – Glenn Maxwell reacts to Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, meanwhile, is keen to witness the battle between Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. He recently told Star Sports (via The Times of India):
"I think the way that the two superstar batters, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, probably head-to-head.”
"One of those two is going to make a lot of runs, if not both of them, and it's going to be pretty exciting to watch the two of the finest players of our generation go head-to-head,” he added.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have stunning records against each other's teams. Kohli has 2042 runs in 25 Tests against Australia at an average of 47.49, including eight centuries and five fifties. Smith too has amassed 2042 runs in 19 Tests at an average of 65.87 with the help of nine tons and five half-centuries.
Kohli and Smith will be keen to get back to the top on the Fab 4 list for most Test centuries. Former England captain Joe Root currently has the most tons (34) on the elite list. He is followed by Kane Williamson and Steve Smith (32 tons each), while Virat Kohli is at the bottom with 29 hundreds.