NEW DELHI: Australia opener David Warner expressed his support for
Virat Kohli
, stating that the Indian batter is subjected to excessive and unwarranted criticism regarding his strike rate.
In the
T20 World Cup
Super Eight matches, following a disappointing performance during the group stage in New York, Kohli contributed scores of 24 and 37 runs against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, respectively.
Furthermore, Warner highlighted that Kohli's passion on the field intensifies the rivalry between their teams whenever they face off against each other. He believes that Kohli's presence and enthusiasm add an extra dimension to the contests involving India.
"It's just his passion for the game, like, he's got a knack for indetermination just for scoring runs and hunger to score runs. You know, he cops a lot of criticism, which is not right. I don't know why he cops it, but there are a lot of people out there who are big Virat supporters, like all of us," Warner, as quoted by IANS, said on Star Sports.
"Now, we're in awe of the great players that have played this game, and we're fortunate to take the field with. So, you know, for him, he consistently goes about his business how he does. You know, he scores a lot of runs. He's a good team man and he competes hard. And that's what we like about coming up against the Indian cricket team."
Facing India will be a formidable task, according to Australian spinner
Adam Zampa
, given the presence of batting stalwarts
Rohit Sharma
and Virat Kohli in the lineup.
"I mean, looking forward, hopefully, to the Super 8s in the finals, there's going to be huge challenges. You look down the India's line up, Virat, Rohit. All those guys were obvious names who've been around for a long time," Zampa said.
Tim David
expressed his admiration for Rohit's batting, describing it as a spectacular display. He also noted that the skipper is determined and eager to secure the world championship.
"Something about Rohit is that naturally, he's so good to watch how he plays. He's effortless the way he bats. You'd always sit down and watch him bat and it's such a joy. But I think he's got to care about his teammates, which obviously he's in that role as India's captain. And I know that he's pretty hungry for a world title as well," he said.