Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are the best batsmen for me, says Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson considers Virat Kohli and Steve Smith as the two best batsmen in the modern era. The spot for the ICC’s number-one ranked Test batsman has mostly belonged to Kohli and Smith over the last couple of years or so. However, the Black Caps’ skipper has pushed both of them down and has gone to the top with 890 rating points.

But despite going past the duo, Kane lauded them for being the most consistent across formats. The Kiwi prodigy also expressed pride in playing alongside Smith and Kohli. Williamson, himself, has been a stalwart of his national team, having scored nearly 15,000 runs with 35 centuries and 83 fifties.

Very fortunate to play against these guys, quips Kane Williamson

“Those two (Virat Kohli and Steve Smith) players are the best. For me, sneak up someone is very surprising and humbling. Those are the two players year and year out in all formats moving the game forward, very fortunate to play against these guys,” Williamson said, reported by The Times of India.

Williamson, recently, became the Player of the Match after New Zealand beat Pakistan by 101 runs in the opening Test at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. In the first innings, Kane racked up 129 runs off 297 balls with 12 fours and one six, guiding his team to a formidable score of 431.

In the fourth innings, Pakistan were in with a daunting task of chasing down 373 runs. Fawad Alam’s 102 and Mohammad Rizwan’s 60 kept the Kiwis waiting until the final session of the fifth day, but the hosts managed to secure victory.

Williamson talked about the rivalry between the two countries and how matches have gone right down to the wire. “It was a great game to be involved in. We seem to have many tight finishes against Pakistan. The last three have gone to the last 25 minutes of the last day. Both teams fought incredibly hard.

“I think we had moments although the resistance put up by Pakistan on the last day was incredibly strong. It is really exciting to cross the line and hunt for an opportunity for the World Test Championship,” he added.