Failing to take RCB into the IPL 2023 Playoffs, Virat Kohli is in England, preparing for India's WTC Final engagement against Australia at The Oval from June 7. Meanwhile, his commitment shown during the training sessions has drawn acclaim for Josh Hazlewood.
Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood has heaped praise on his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammates Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2021-23 versus India at The Oval in London, starting June 7. Hazlewood has been battling considerable injuries for the last six months, forcing him to cut short his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 stint due to a side-strain issue. However, he senses that he would be able to bowl in full flow as Australia gears up for the grand finale.
Speaking about Kohli, a wicket that he will be targeting during the WTC Final, Hazlewood voiced that the Indian top-order batter's work ethic defines the player that he is. "I think it's probably how hard he works. His fitness, first of all - and then his skill work, and batting and fielding, in particular. He is always out there [to train] first and leaves last, and the intensity he trains at all the time is at such a high level it drags everyone else along for the ride. That can leak onto the other players and improve them as well," Hazlewood told ICC.
About RCB's leading wicket-taker Siraj, who is also tipped to play a massive role for the Indians in the WTC Final, Hazlwood sounded: "I was a bit late getting there [RCB], but before then, he was on fire. He is up there, at the top of the wickets every time, and the economy rate was probably the thing, as bowling at Chinnaswamy is impossible sometimes, and he was going at six or six-and-a-half an over. His control was great, and he is bowling well."