India captain Virat Kohli had recently praised Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, saying that left-hander always keeps him on his toes. Kohli made the revelation during a chat show with Bollywood star Aamir Khan. "In the recent times, Mohammad Amir of Pakistan (keeps him on his toes). He is in the top two or three bowlers in the world and the toughest bowlers I have played in my career. You have to be on your 'A' Game when you're facing him or he will strike. Outstanding! Very good bowler," Kohli said.
Following the Indian skipper's latest remarks about him, Amir said that he was floored with Kohli's opinion on his bowling.
Amir went a step ahead and said that bowling well against Kohli actually makes him a better bowler.
"The world knows Kohli is the best. You have to give your best against him. If you give him a chance he takes away the game, like he did in the Dhaka Asia Cup game," Amir told Wisden India.
"So I have to focus and do my best to target him. He has the best strike rate and average while chasing so he is also the biggest challenge for bowlers around the world. You become a better bowler when you bowl well against a batsman like Kohli.
"It is a great gesture on his part to praise someone and I am floored at his praise of my bowling. The way he presented me with the bat in Kolkata is an evergreen memory for me," he added.
The bonhomie between Amir and Kohli is well documented. Both are fierce competitors on the cricket field and always look to dominate each other but they also have plenty of mutual respect and admiration. Time and again, Kohli has showered high praise on the bowler since his return to international cricket after the spot-fixing scandal. In return, Amir has also spoken about Kohli being his favourite batsman.
When Amir made a return to international cricket after serving a five-year spot-fixing ban, Kohli said: "I am very happy to see Amir back in action. He understood his mistake and has corrected himself and came back. He has always been an outstanding bowler, a world-class bowler." Kohli also gifted Amir one of his willows during the World T20 2016.
Kohli also praised the left-arm pacer during the 2016 Asia Cup. "I would like to complement Mohammad Amir for the way he bowled. I actually congratulated him while he was bowling. I was so happy to play such an amazing spell. He is a world-class bowler."
Amir and Kohli have been involved in some exciting encounters in the past and while the Indian captain has dominated on most occasions, the left-arm pacer had the last laugh when India and Pakistan met in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final. Amir dismissed Kohli for 5 as India went on to lose the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan by 180 runs.
