New Delhi: Indian swashbuckling batsman Virat Kohli took a step ahead to become the no. 1 batsmen in the world after hitting a match-winning century against Pakistan. But there's another player who is in close fight with him and his nation believes that he won't allow Kohli to run away with the crowd easily.
It's the New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson who his skipper Brendon McCullum feels will one day go on to become the best batsman in the world.
Williamson who was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 60 lakhs in the IPL auction, is the best batsmen at this age, McCullum said as reported by Times of India.
Williamson and Kohli led New Zealand and India respectively during the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia, where India went on to become the champions. Though they are of the same generation and have a similar hunger to pile on runs, the two players have vastly different temperaments.
The Kiwi batsman is an orthodox player who won't even notice has gone past his half-century. His efforts in county cricket to become more effective in the limited-overs game has certainly helped in the World Cup opener against Sri Lanka.
"I have all the admiration in the world for the way Kohli leads those run-chases for India, but I can assure you that Kane is as good as anybody else in the world," McCullum said.
"Kane is a phenomenal talent," McCullum added. "I believe he'll go down as our greatest-ever batter. I don't want to put that added pressure on him, but what we're seeing at the moment is a guy who is incredibly comfortable with his game, who keeps trying to develop his game, keeps learning."
Williamson's entry in IPL may well be a game-changer for him. He will have to deliver for SRH on a daily basis in the demanding T20 format and there's bound to be a buzz around him.'
While some of the New Zealand cricket experts feel it would have been better if Williamson had stayed away from the lure of IPL money, his skipper believes it's going to make him a better cricketer, says TOI report.