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With the WTC Final not even 24 hours away, Dinesh Karthik has likened the captains of India and New Zealand with fire and ice respectively.
He said both are poles apart. He added that both ‘love their cricket’ but ‘they play two different ways.’
“As cliched as it sounds, fire and ice is the best way to put it for both of them. This guy (Virat Kohli) breathes fire, that guy (Kane Williamson) is about as cool as it comes. You need 32 runs in one over, he is still smiling and making it look like it’s too easy. Virat on the other hand, you know he is in your face, if you get it once wrong, he is going to give you the choicest of words when you go back – once you get out. That’s always been the experience that I have had and that is the beauty of playing with both of these guys. They love their cricket, but they play two different ways. "
“They have had the rivalry for the longest time now, right from the under-19 days, but even now one of the cricketers Virat Kohli genuinely and mutually admires, I think they always put these four cricketers together – Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steven Smith, and Kane Williamson. They are always compared together when you talk about batting or anything. I think his (Virat) favourite amongst those four without a doubt will be Kane Williamson. You go on social media and see; he has got nice things to say about Kane Williamson. They have spent a lot of good times. I think they spend a lot of time together," Karthik told Star Sports.
The former stumper recalled an anecdote where he saw both of them sitting together and watching a T20 game.
“If I am right, I remember a very clear vision of both of them sitting together of watching, both didn’t play one of those T20 games, they were sitting together. They spend a lot of good time with each other, they have a lot of respect for each other, most importantly they will play really hard. One will play easy; one will play with a smile and the other one will play it in your face, but they have a lot of love for each other off the field.”