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India and Australia are set to lock horns in the final clash of the World Test Championship commencing from June 7-11 at the iconic Oval, London. Ahead of the biggest clash in Test cricket, former India skipper Virat Kohli has applauded skipper and opening batter Rohit Sharma for enjoying a rise as a Test opener at the highest level.

The last time Rohit Sharma played at the Oval, he smashed a ton against England, and Kohli expects the same display of batting from him in the aforementioned clash.  Kohli sat down for a chat with the ICC and talked about how the Indian skipper has transformed his game in red-ball cricket.

Also read: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Team India train in Oval ahead of WTC Final

The 34-year-old was all praise for Rohit Sharma and said, "He has got more time than anyone on the ball, and that’s the special ability he had from day one. When I saw him play for the first time, I understood what the hype was all about and why he was rated so highly."  Kohli added, "The way he has performed in Test cricket over the last three-four years is a testimony to his temperament towards playing Test cricket, and having belief in himself that he can do it.”

In addition to this, Kohli also praised Sharma for his role as an opener, and said, “Opening is not easy, and he has done a wonderful job opening the innings for us in the last few years. He has performed amazingly well in all formats of the game for us."

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In addition to this, Kohli recalled Sharma’s 127-run knock against England at the Oval, and said, “I enjoy watching him, especially from the other end and hopefully he can repeat his performance what he did in the Oval last time."

Notably, Rohit has scored 368 runs in four Tests in the 2021 tour against England, along with a stellar 127-run knock which was filled with 14 boundaries and one six.