Although he may have been a menace to batsmen on the field with his searing pace, Brett Lee always remained an instantly likeable personality off it. After a fruitful career which made him Australia’s third highest wicket-taker across all formats, the 39-year old has shifted his attention to guiding the next generation.
Now in India as the mentor of Ruby Kanchi Warriors in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the former pacer is keen to work with quite a few of the upcoming cricketers in the country.
During a media interaction, he expressed his views on a variety of topics which are grabbing the limelight in the international circuit and hailed Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli as his favorite batsman at present.
Lee claimed, “He (Kohli) is the world’s best batsmen currently. I’ve always been impressed with Virat Kohli. I love the way he plays and his aggression is in your face, but it’s not over the top. Rather, it’s controlled. He’s very passionate and always puts his team first. His technique is incredible.”
The right-arm speedster elaborated, “If you look back a couple of years ago, you would say that a fourth or fifth stump ball might get him fishing and that’s how you get him out. But now, he’s checked that and that ball no longer gets him out. He’s tightened his technique, his stance is upright and he’s playing with total freedom.
“I have to praise him because he’s in incredible form and I love watching him play.”
Also Read: Brett Lee praises Indian bowlers, disagrees with decision to rest Australian bowlers
When the discussion shifted towards Australia’s recurring troubles with dry and deteriorating pitches in Asia, he attributed the malaise to indecisive footwork and improper shot selection.
Lee postulated, “We don’t have a lot of experience as Australian cricketers on low, slow wickets while growing up. To me it’s a matter of us learning as players and the more experience they can get in the sub-continent, the better it’s going to be for the batsmen.
“You have to play smart cricket. When it comes to your shot selection, it’s very important. If you are getting out sweeping against the spin, you have to put that in the memory bank and say maybe that’s not the best option, I probably have to use my feet quicker.”
He also did not see anything wrong with teams utilizing home advantage and wanted India to prepare their traditional turning tracks when New Zealand visit for a 3-Test and 5-ODI tour later this month.
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