Reece Topley chooses between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam’s cover drives in fascinating rapid-fire segment [Exclusive]

Reece Topley has established himself as one of England’s experienced left-arm pacers, having represented the national team across ODIs and T20Is while also featuring in franchise cricket around the world. Known for his height, bounce and ability to generate movement, Topley has been a key white-ball bowler for England when fit.

In an exclusive conversation with CricTracker, Topley was asked to choose between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam's cover drives, with both right-handed batters renowned for their elegance through the off side. The England pacer revealed whose cover drive he prefers, offering his take on a comparison that has often sparked debate among cricket fans.

The left-arm pacer has picked up 47 wickets in 30 ODIs and 33 wickets in 35 T20Is for England, underlining his experience at the international level.

Excerpts from the interview 

'One Word, One Cricketer’

Fearless - Pooran

Stylish - Kieron Pollard

Underrated - Glenn Maxwell

Speed - Shaun Tait

Calm - Shubman Gill

Genius - Shane Warne

Magician - Sunil Narine

Fighter - Henrich Klaseen

King - Virat Kohli

Clutch - Jasprit Bumrah

Golden Arm - Sunil Narine

Leader - Faf du Plessis

Rapid-Fire

Virat Kohli’s cover drive or Babar Azam’s cover drive - Virat Kohli’s Cover

Yorker or slower ball – your go-to in death overs? - Yorker

Playing in IPL or Playing in BBL - BBL

Dhoni’s  or Gayle’s Power - Gayle Power

Bowling Slow Cutters or Going Full Pace - Full pace

Toughest venue to bowl in India – Wankhede or Chinnaswamy?  They're both the worst, but I'd go Chinnaswamy.

Who’s funnier in the dressing room – Jofra Archer or Ben Stokes?  Ben Stokes

Your most underrated skill apart from bowling?  My throw. I've got a big throw.

Virat, Rohit, or Dhoni – who gives you the biggest challenge? Rohit Sharma

Blind Rankings

You have to rank six pacers blindly 

Mitchell Starc - 2

Jofra Archer - 4

Lasith Malinga - 1

Jasprit Bumrah - 3

Kagiso Rabada - 5

Mark Wood - 6

Last Man Standing

Best T20 bowler

- Mitchell Starc or Lungi Ngidi
- Trent Boult
- Dwayne Bravo
- Lasith Malinga
- Shaheen Afridi
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Jofra Archer
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mark Wood
- Kagiso Rabada

Winner - Bumrah

THE DRESSING ROOM FILES

- Most underrated teammate →
- Best cricketing brain →
- Funniest in the dressing room →
- Most competitive →
- Best advice giver →
- Player who surprised you the most →
- Someone you learned a lot from →
- Player you'd want beside you in a pressure chase →
- Best mentor →
- One player you think deserves more recognition

DRESSING ROOM DRAFT

“You’re building your dream dressing room. You get ₹10 crore and have to buy 5 players.”

- ₹5 Cr: MS Dhoni / Virat Kohli / Rohit Sharma
- ₹3 Cr: Bumrah / Jadeja / Shami
- ₹2 Cr: Rinku / SKY / Gill
- ₹1 Cr: Ashwin / Kuldeep / Axar