Kane Williamson reveals the reasons behind Virat Kohli's record-breaking batting feats

Natural ability married to an insatiable hunger for improvement -- that's New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's assessment of his India counterpart Virat Kohli and his record-breaking batting achievements. Williamson highlighted the difference in Kohli in comparison to 2008 when he made his ODI debut.

Both Kohli and Williamson's friendship dates back to their U-19 days. Virat Kohli's India had defeated the Williamson-led New Zealand in the ICC U-19 World Cup semi-final. The Boys In Blue eventually went on to win that tournament. What had really stood out in that contest was that of Virat dismissing Kane.  11 years later, the two led their respective sides in World Cup 2019 where they locked horns in a high-octane semi-final. However, Kane had the last laugh on this occasion as India lost the contest by 18 runs that brought curtains down on their successful campaign.

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'It was only a matter of time': Kane Williamson

"You can say that it was only a matter of time before he (Kohli) was making some strong inroads to the full international scene," Williamson was quoted as saying in Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'."At the moment, leading the way in cricket and setting the standard as a batter and breaking all these records. A lot of that probably has to come down to his maturity, his ability to make very good decisions," he said.

Williamson said he is fortunate to have played against Kohli."Not only is he gifted with his ability and his natural ability, but you're marrying that up with this constant drive and hunger to improve and just be better day in and day out," he said."It has been great to meet at a young age and follow his progress and journey."

Meanwhile, Williamson has been retained by the 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020 that was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 but has now been suspended indefinitely due to the global pandemic. Kohli, on the other hand, was all set to lead the Royals Challengers Bangalore who are aiming to win their maiden IPL crown after failing to cross the final hurdle in the 2009, 2011, and 2016 editions respectively.

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(With PTI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: AP)