Kane Williamson’s massive praise for Virat Kohli – ‘probably the greatest all-format player that we have seen in the last 15 years’

Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli have come a long way since the 2008 Under-19 semi-final, when India defeated New Zealand by three wickets. In that game, Kohli dismissed Williamson when the Kiwi batter was stumped by Shreevats Goswami down the leg side.

While Kohli made his international debut in 2008, Williamson had to wait two years before breaking into the New Zealand starting XI. They demonstrated exceptional consistency from their early days on the international circuit and were members of the ‘Fab 4’ with Steve Smith and Joe Root.

Kane Williamson, a former New Zealand captain, recently heaped admiration on Kohli during an interview.

Williamson referred to the former India captain as the best all-format performer in cricket over the previous 15 years. The Kiwi star also praised Kohli for his ability to bear the strain of expectations that comes with playing for a cricket-crazy country like India.

“Probably the best all-format player we’ve seen in the previous 15 years. It has its own set of obstacles in a culture that is completely obsessed with cricket, and he has been at the top of the tree. Look, I have excellent ties and friendships with all of them in somewhat different ways, and we communicate in a variety of ways,” Williamson told Sky Sports on Saturday, July 12.

Kohli retired from Twenty20 International cricket in 2024 and Test cricket in May. He is still a member of India’s ODI team and plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League. Meanwhile, Williamson has not announced his retirement from any format of international cricket, but he has not signed a professional contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) since last year. This permits the right-handed hitter to pick and select which assignments he wants to participate in.