IND Vs ENG, 3rd Test: Kane Williamson Hails Virat Kohli as 'Greatest' All-Format Cricketer Of The Last 15 Years

Premier New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has hailed Virat Kohli as the greatest all-format cricketer of the past 15 years, praising the Indian maestro for thriving under the intense glare of a cricket-crazy nation and consistently delivering across all three formats of the game.

Speaking to Sky Sports during Day 3 of the third Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Lord’s, Williamson reflected on the impact Kohli has made in the sport and how the two share a long-standing camaraderie built on mutual respect and shared experiences.

“Virat is probably the greatest all-format player we have seen in the last 15 years. And he’s done it while facing his own challenges,” Williamson said. “In an absolutely cricket-obsessed country, he has been at the top of that tree.”

Kohli and Williamson, along with Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root, formed cricket’s famed 'Fab Four' — a modern-era quartet that has dominated global cricket for more than a decade. While Kohli has now stepped away from Tests and T20Is, and Smith has retired from ODIs, Root and Williamson have also seen their T20I appearances dwindle in recent years.

Despite being part of a generational rivalry, Williamson stressed that the relationship among the 'Fab Four' has always been built on friendship and respect rather than competition.

“Look, there are great sorts of relationships and friendships with all of them in slightly different ways. We’ve stayed in touch in a lot of ways as well. But it’s not really that sort of competitive thing. I think you are just in teams and willing to compete for those teams.”

Currently in England for a domestic stint with Middlesex, Williamson revealed that he recently had a chance to catch up with Kohli, who resides in London with his family. “Yes, we did meet,” he smiled. “It was quite funny — just a full circle. That’s the other part of it.”

“Not just playing cricket, but we’ve lived our lives in some sort of parallel way for a huge percentage of our lives. Whether that’s having kids at similar times or going through different stages of life — you connect on different levels.”