“Virat is an Australian in thoughts and action...”: Steve Smith

Australian batter Steve Smith discusses bond with Indian star Virat Kohli ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India draws close, Australian batter Steve Smith opened up on his bond with star India batter Virat Kohli, revealing that they often exchange text messages and pointed out the reason why his Indian counterpart is an “Australian.”

The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

Speaking about Virat, Smith said on Star Sports, “We get on quite well, and share messages now and again. Look, he is a great guy and a wonderful player. So, it will be nice to come up against him again this summer.”

Smith remarked that Virat is an Australian “in thoughts and action”.

“The way he gets into it all the way, and gets into the challenge and tries to get on top of the opposition. He is probably the most Australian of the Indian players, I would say,” he added.

On competing with Virat as a batter, Smith said that he does not think like that, rather, Australia’s success is paramount.

“There is no real, I need to beat him or anything like that. It is just about going out and playing and trying to score as many runs as I can and helping Australia have success. That is what it’s all about,” he added.