I wish I was as 'smart' as KL Rahul at 24, says Virat Kohli

Bengaluru, Feb 2: Indian captain Virat Kohli was full of praise for young opening batsman KL Rahul describing him as "confident, smart and humble".

3rd T20I match report; Photos

After the Twenty20 International series victory over England last night (February 1) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli hailed local boy Rahul's work ethic.

KL Rahul celebrates his half century against England in the 2nd T20I in Nagpur on Sunday (January 29)

"He (Rahul) is someone who has a great character. He is mentally tough. He is hardworking and takes a lot of pride in his cricket. That is evident," Kohli said after the match, which India won by 75 runs. (Kohli questions back journalist)

"He is not arrogant. He is confident and humble - a rare combination. He knows what he exactly wants to do, so that's a great thing. I wish I was as smart as him when I was 24," the 28-year-old added.

The Indian skipper said Rahul had put in a lot of hard work since the last year's Indian Premier League (IPL). In IPL too, Rahul plays under Kohli's captaincy, for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"He knows what he needs to do when put under pressure, and backs his game. It is important to back guys like that and identify guys like that. In the last 11 months or so since the IPL season, it is great to see the way he has matured. I hope he can keep doing the good work for the Indian team," Kohli explained.

Right-hander Rahul has so far played 12 Tests, 6 ODIs and 8 T20Is.

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