'Enjoy my battles, always a good contest' - Mitchell Starc on competing against Virat Kohli

Ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ace pacer Mitchell Starc stated that he is waiting for his battle against star India batter Virat Kohli. The Australia international mentioned that he always had a fierce fight against Kohli, in which, he managed to get the better of the cricketer at times, while the former India captain got the job done on some occasions but the competition has always been healthy.

Kohli has faced Starc in 19 innings so far in Test cricket, in which, the Indian batter amassed 291 runs against the pacer at an average of 59. Kohli has had the upper hand so far in red-ball cricket but Starc has also shown him the door on four occasions. Ahead of the upcoming India tour to Australia, Starc stated to have enjoyed the battle against the India great and expects a good contest again.

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“I enjoy my battles with Virat Kohli, it's because we've played a lot of cricket against one another. I always have some good battles. I've managed to get him out once or twice, and he's no doubt scored a fair few runs against me, so it's always a good contest and one we both enjoy," Starc told Star Sports.

Glenn Maxwell opens up on Kohli vs Smith battle

Two of the finest Test batters of the current generation, Steve Smith and Kohli will once again face each other in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ahead of that, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell opened up on their rivalry and stated that he is eager to see the cricketers go head-to-head. The 35-year-old also expects either Smith or Kohli to have a cracking season if not both cricketers step up for their respective teams.

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“I think probably the way that the two superstar batters, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, are probably head-to-head, seeing how their dominance, I suppose, is asserted on the series and how much of an influence that has on who takes home the Border Gavaskar Trophy. One of those two is going to make a lot of runs, if not both of them, and it is going to be pretty exciting to watch the two of the finest players of our generation go head-to-head," Maxwell said.