Former India captain and batting stalwart Virat Kohli paid a tribute to Kane Williamson after the New Zealand top-order batter announced his retirement from international cricket after a prolific and illustrious 16-year long career. He is now officially the first from the “Fab 4” to retire from all formats of the game.
Kane Williamson is a rare character in the world of cricket. While every other player in the modern era chose to go with an aggressive approach, Williamson stood out as one of the few gentlemen in the sport. He walks away from the international scene very quietly and with a great reputation.
The 35-year-old stands as New Zealand’s all-time leading run-scorer across formats, amassing a total of 19,346 runs. His incredible record includes 48 centuries with 33 of those coming in the longest format alongside 6 double-tons.
Kane Williamson also had a brilliant captaincy record even if the white-ball ICC silverwares eluded him throughout his career. Yet, he is the first captain to lift the coveted World Test Championship mace after beating India in the inaugural final in 2021.
However, the Kiwi had his own share of disappointments in white-ball tournaments, losing the 2015 and 2019 ODI and 2021 T20 World Cup finals. Regardless, Williamson will go down as the legend of the game.
Virat Kohli pays tribute to his old friend
Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson share a very good friendship which dates back to the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Over the last two decades or so, Kohli and Williamson have faced each other frequently in international cricket as well as in the Indian Premier League.
The two players notably faced each other in the 2016 IPL final and 2021 WTC final with Williamson winning on both occasions. Yet, Virat Kohli never strained his relationship with Kane and upon learning about the latter’s retirement, the Indian batter had a message to his old friend.
“From an opponent to a friend over the years. It’s been a pleasure watching you bat and compete against you over so many years, but more than that I value our friendship and shared perspectives on the game and beyond. Wishing you nothing but the best always brother. You’ve done your bit, you deserve to enjoy all of it now and put your feet up,” Virat Kohli wrote on X.
Kane Williamson finishes his international career with 378 caps for his country with over 19,000 runs to his name.
