Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Josh Hazlewood heaped praise on Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli for his work ethic in the practice session and opened up on his fitness going into the World Test Championship final against Oval on June 7.
Hazlewood has played alongside the former Indian skipper in the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League where he watched him closely from the RCB dressing room and has hailed the RCB opener for his commitments on and off the field for the game.
Speaking to the ICC, Josh Hazlewood lauded Virat Kohli for his hard work in cricket and his consistency in working fitness and skillsets as he always trains hard in the practices session, which can influence his team members to do the same in the nets.
“I think it’s probably how hard he works (that stands out). His fitness first of all – and then his skill work and batting and fielding in particular.
“He is always out there (training) first and leaves last … and the intensity he trains at all the time is at such a high level he drags everyone else along for the ride. That can leak on to the other players and improve them as well,” Josh Hazlewood said
Virat Kohli has scored back-to-back centuries in the IPL 2023 to finish his season with an impressive score of 639 runs from 14 matches and will look to carry on his form into the WTC final against Australia starting on June 7 in Oval.
The 34-year-old has been unstoppable since he recovered his form starting in Asia Cup 2022, In the BGT 2023, The former Indian skipper scored a Test century after almost a gap of three years and five months, with nearly after 1205 days.
My Fitness Is Pretty Good – Josh Hazlewood Ahead Of WTC Final
Australian Pacer Josh Hazlewood revealed that he is close to achieving his 100% fitness ahead of the all-important World Test Championship final against India, starting on June 7 at the Oval in London.
The Australian pacer believes that his fitness is good and feels that it is important for him to build up closely in every practice session.
“My fitness is pretty good and it is just a matter of ticking off every session from here until that date (June 7) basically.
“We will probably have anywhere from three to four more sessions – bat versus ball and then a couple of long days in the nets as well or center wicket down in London – so it is just ticking off those last few boxes and pulling up well from every session,” Josh Hazlewood added.
The fitness of key pacer Josh Hazlewood has been a cause of concern for Australia ahead of a busy schedule of cricket that consists of the ICC World Test Championship final against India and five Ashes Tests followed by the all-important ODI World Cup later this year.