Jhulan Goswami hails 'phenomenal' Virat Kohli; advises him to continue playing his brand of cricket

New Delhi: Indian women cricket team pace spearhead Jhulan Goswami was effusive in her praise for Virat Kohli, describing him as the best cricketer in the world. “He is a phenomenal cricketer. He is the best cricketer in the world. The way he is playing and leading from the front is fantastic,” Goswami, who is currently the leading wicket taker in ODIs with 195 scalps, said during India Today’s Mind Rocks Delhi event. [caption id=“attachment_3984721” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami.[/caption] “Virat should continue his brand of cricket,” she added when asked about any piece of advise for him. The former India women’s captain also praised Kohli for his attention to fitness and said now even the women cricketers hit the gym and follow a strict diet as it is an integral part of the game now. “We follow strict diet. We go to the gym on a regular basis. Cricket has changed, it’s become a powerful game. You need to have strength. You need to maintain good diet,” Goswami said. “You have to contribute in every department of the game today,” she added. She was accompanied by the other stars from the recently concluded World Cup in England – Smriti Mandhana and Veda Krishnamurthy. Talking about the upcoming India-Australia series starting on Sunday, Smriti said: “They have been playing exceptional cricket for the last 4-6 months. I don’t think they need our advise. They should just go with the flow, enjoy what they are doing and I’m sure they will beat the Aussies.” Veda, who is also a good friend of KL Rahul, backed the India opener to succeed in the five-match ODI series and three T20Is against the Aussies. “KL is doing exceptionally well in whatever opportunities he got to play for India. It’s very unfortunate that he gets injured or falls sick more than its expected but I think he’s going to come back strong and do well against the Australians. “He has done well against them before and I think playing at home will be a huge advantage for us,” said the wicketkeeper batswoman. “Just nail and don’t let the Aussies come on top,” she added.