Dunedin: Former New Zealand captain Glenn Turner has rated current skipper Kane Williamson ahead of his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli when it comes to tough batting conditions.
Kohli and Williamson are regarded as two of the finest batsmen in modern-day cricket. As per the latest ICC Test rankings, Kohli and Williamson are placed at second and fourth spots respectively and have been leading their respective teams with great aplomb for a while now.
Turner believes Kohli’s ability to play spin is second to none but he rated Williamson ahead of him to bat in challenging batting conditions.
“Kohli is less likely to have been exposed early in his development to seaming pitches and the ball continuing to swing for extended periods, whereas Williamson will have experienced those conditions more often,” Turner was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“Kohli’s greater exposure to pitches that take turn will have him more accustomed to playing spin better. Conditions less favourable for swing and seamers will also have allowed him more opportunities to become good at aggressively dominating that type of bowling.
“I would only say that under tougher batting conditions, I would back Williamson ahead of Kohli. Under good batting conditions, Kohli is likely to be more dominant, thereby providing his team with more time to get a favourable result,” he added.
Kohli and Williamson, the two best buddies off the field, came face-to-face earlier this year during India’s tour of New Zealand. While the visitors managed to blank the Kiwis 5-0 in T20I series, the hosts won the ODI series 3-0.
The Test series was also a one-sided affair as New Zealand won the two matches by 10 wickets and seven wickets respectively. (IANS)
