IPL 2016: Virat Kohli heaps praise on his counterpart David Warner

IPL 2016 has been a wonderful tale of two skippers who with their exemplary performances led their respective teams to the summit clash which will take place tonight at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner have been exceptional throughout the tournament with their bat and now they will look to topple each other as they lock horns tonight for the coveted prize.

Warner, who played the match-winning knock against Gujarat Lions in the second qualifier, earned praises from his counterpart before their much-awaited clash.

The talismanic RCB skipper Virat Kohli, who has scored a mammoth 919 runs in the IPL 2016, found a lot of similarities between him and Warner who has also scored 779 runs in the tournament. Talking about his counterpart, Kohli pointed out, “I think he (Warner) has come a long way as a leader in this tournament.”

Similarities between Kohli and Warner

He added, “The kind of hunger he has had in this tournament to get the job done speaks volumes of his character. I think we both think on similar lines.” Both skippers have shown great leadership skills and they will like to finish it on a high by clinching the mega prize.

Kohli also identified, “There is a lot of similarity in terms of approaching the game, wanting to contribute for the team’s cause, getting people together and wanting them to be at their best.” Warner and Kohli both have both bailed their respective teams out of trouble on so many occasions this season and have surely been great examples for their teammates.

Kohli and Warner this season in the IPL have averaged as high as 125.50 and 93.60 in chases which shows the way these two have excelled under pressure. Kohli was all too praise for Warner as he said, “It’s been wonderful to see how he has led the team especially with senior players like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra along with youngsters like Mustafizur (Rahman), and handling everyone well.”

Before the all-important final, the RCB skipper feels home support at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy stadium will certainly go a long way to get the best out of the RCB players. Playing in the home territory might just give the edge to the Bangalore boys as they look a formidable side now.

Talking about the high-voltage clash, Kohli emphasized the importance of keeping the composure. He said, “See, composure is key. Try and be as normal as possible. It’s the final, everybody will want to win. But be attached, yet be detached.”

He had a word for his boys as he signed off, “If you win you don’t stop there, if you lose it’s not the end of the world.”