'Simply no match for him': Mohammad Amir names Virat Kohli as the toughest to bowl above Ricky Ponting & Shane Watson

'Simply no match for him': Mohammad Amir names Virat Kohli as the toughest to bowl above Ricky Ponting & Shane Watson originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Mohammad Amir rates Virat Kohli as the toughest batter he's ever bowled to.

Kohli owns a stunning T20 World Cup record against Pakistan: 308 runs.

Amir dismissed Kohli twice in ODIs, never in T20Is.

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Mohammad Amir picks Virat Kohli over Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson as his toughest opponent

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has placed Virat Kohli above cricketing greats Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson when asked to name the batter who gave him the most trouble on the field.

Kohli, who stepped away from T20 cricket following India's triumph at the 2024 World Cup, carries a remarkable record across every format, and Amir believes it's the former India captain's knack for delivering under pressure that puts him a cut above the rest.

The Kohli-Amir contest was one of cricket's most anticipated match-ups. Big occasions tend to bring out the best in top-class players, and few embody that better than Kohli, who has piled up 308 runs against Pakistan across five T20 World Cup outings, single-handedly steering India to victory in three of them.

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His scores in those five matches - an unbeaten 78, an unbeaten 36, an unbeaten 55, 57, and an unbeaten 82 - tell their own story of consistency against the old rival.

Amir hasn't been without his moments against Kohli either. He produced a fiery opening burst in the 2017 Champions Trophy final to dismiss Kohli and win the tournament that gave Pakistan their most recent ICC title.

At the 2019 World Cup, Amir again got Kohli's wicket, though only after the Indian star had already compiled a fluent 77.

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In T20I cricket specifically, Amir has kept Kohli quiet, restricting him to just 16 runs off 19 balls across two encounters back in 2016, though he's never actually managed to dismiss him in that format.

MORE: Who is Kohli's favourite batting partner in Test cricket?

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Amir lavishes praise on Kohli

Speaking about the rivalry, Amir didn't hold back in his praise. He said that among today's generation of cricketers, he's repeatedly maintained that Kohli is the toughest batter he's had to bowl against.

Speaking to Wisden, Amir said:"For this generation, I've said it many times, Virat Kohli is the toughest batter I have bowled to. When you look at his consistency, the way he controls his game, and how he finishes matches, there is simply no match for him in modern cricket."

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Amir acknowledged that Ponting and Watson were similarly tricky opponents during his earlier years, but insisted that among current players, Kohli sits at the very top without any real competition.

"Among former players, Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson were extremely difficult to bowl to. But if we talk about current players, Virat Kohli stands at the top without a shadow of a doubt."

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A fitting tribute to Kohli from a fierce rival

It's easy for praise to feel hollow when it comes from outside a rivalry, but Amir has the scars, and the wickets, to back up his opinion.

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His comparison to Ponting and Watson isn't a throwaway line either; both were feared for their ability to dismantle bowling attacks. So ranking Kohli above them says a great deal about how highly Amir rates the Indian batter's game.

What makes this praise more interesting is that it comes despite Amir actually getting the better of Kohli on a couple of big occasions. That honesty adds credibility to his words, since he isn't simply flattering an opponent he's never troubled.

Instead, he's acknowledging that even when he managed to dismiss Kohli, the effort required and the number of near-misses along the way left a lasting impression. For a bowler who has tested some of the finest batters of two generations, that's about as strong an endorsement as Kohli could hope to receive from a fierce rival.

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