Australian media heaps praises for Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was the star of the show yesterday after he thrashed the Aussies at Mohali to help India secure the semi-final berth. Everyone was in awe of his batting show and showered praises on him. His Australian counterparts also did not hold themselves up spoke their hearts out about the marvelous batsman.

“Steve Smith called it the ‘Virat show’ and he was right,” wrote Chris Barratt in The Sydney Morning Herald, acknowledging the dejected skipper’s post-match remarks.

“With one of the greatest ever Twenty20 international innings India’s batting maestro all but single-handedly sent Australia home from the 20-overs world championship.”

“One man wins it,” agreed The Daily Telegraph’s Ben Horne as he described the match which crushed Australia’s hopes of a World T20 title and puts India through to the semi-finals.

“I think it’s safe to say there is no talent in world cricket at the moment quite like Virat Kohli,” Horne said in a podcast.

Sports journalist Gideon Haigh, writing in The Australian newspaper said, Kohli’s unbeaten 82 off 51 balls had “made an awkward chase look like simplicity itself”.

“Not a stroke, by the way, would have looked out of place in a Test match,” he wrote.

“Much as the marketers would like to take the cricket out of T20, Kohli keeps putting it back.”

Geoff Lemon, writing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said it was hard to feel disappointed at being knocked out by such an impressive innings.

“It is hard to feel anything but awe,” he wrote.

Former Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Michael Clarke also appreciated Virat Kohli’s masterclass.

“Wow, that was a absolute class from Virat. Congrats India on your win,” tweeted spin master Shane Warne.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said, “Looked like a class performance from @imVkohli#T20WorldCup”.