Dale Steyn vs Virat Kohli is a contest we have seen a few times in the past, but it was during a time when Steyn was at the peak of his bowling prowess while Kohli was a young and promising youngster on the fast track to becoming one of the world’s best.
Dale Steyn on Virat Kohli
The sight of Steyn in his peak bowling to Kohli today would have made for a fascinating viewing. Having said that, if it were to happen, or if Steyn is to still play a few matches for South Africa and come across Kohli in an ODI or T20I, how would it fare? Well, the South Africa fast bowler has the answer as he revealed his plan of bowling to India captain Kohli.
“You’ve got to play the mind games with Virat. I would look at putting somebody in at short leg. I would let him know that I’m going to come at him, come at his body, want to come quickly at him. And I’d want him to try and pull, because I feel like that’s his B game,” Steyn told Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo.
“I’d want him to think I’m going to go short, but I’ll probably bowl six full balls to him to be honest. I’ll probably try to get him to nick every single ball, but I’ll be telling him, ‘it’s coming I’m going to hit you in the head you know’. I’m not going to swear at him but let him know that that short leg is in business,” said Steyn.
Kohli and Steyn have shared a close camaraderie from their time in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the team which gave Steyn his IPL swansong last year.
“Whenever I meet him, he gives me the biggest hug, and it’s been consistent throughout. Even if we have to play a game before that, we are always really friendly… I think I’ve shared a great friendship with a lot of South African players over the years, and Dale has to be one of the more special ones,” Kohli had said about his RCB teammate on the eve of 2015 World Cup.
Best of Dale Steyn Bowling
The fast bowler had announced his retirement from Test cricket on August 5, 2019, in an attempt to prolong his limited-overs career. He finished his career in the longest format with 439 wickets at an outstanding average of 22.95.
However, he has continued to play for the Proteas in the T20 format; his most recent international appearance came against Australia in February 2020.
