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Joe Root Virat Kohli
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Former British Prime Minister David Cameron had plenty of praise for Indian cricketer Virat Kohli where he shared his admiration for the star batter's leadership skills.

Cameron was speaking at the NDTV World Summit when he was asked to pick his favourite Indian player, during which time he recalled memories of watching legendary spinner, late Bishan Singh Bedi.

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Why did David Cameron praise former India captain Virat Kohli?

When former UK PM Cameron was asked to reveal his favourite Indian cricketer, he chose to take the easy path and like any seasoned politician, he avoided giving the answer directly.

Although, he recalled watching Rahul Dravid scoring a century in England and was greatly impressed by the cricketer.

"I am so old that I grew up watching Bishan Bedi. I remember watching Rahul Dravid score a brilliant century in the UK. I remember sitting with John Major who is another Conservative Prime Minister who said - Watch this guy, he is very very good," Cameron said.

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However, he reserved the most praise and admiration for Kohli, who has become popular not just for his performances with his bat but also for bringing about a revolution of aggression on the field.

"I think in Virat Kohli, you had an extraordinary leader. Sometimes, you can see, as we have done with Ben Stokes as our captain, just incredible captaincy on the field and inspiration. I think you had that with Virat Kohli. So lots of great cricket players to watch," he added.

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In the same way that Indian-origin New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, led the charge in handing a heavy defeat in the first Test against India in Bengaluru, Cameron hoped that more British Indian will be selected in the England national team in the future.

"Obviously, some great British-Indian players coming through. In the years to come, you will see many British-Indian players coming through and taking on India and hopefully winning," the former British Prime Minister concluded.

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Author(s)
Saino Zachariah Photo

Saino Zachariah is a content producer for The Sporting News' India edition.