BANGALORE: Virat Kohli Saturday heaped praise on his opposite number David Warner ahead of cricket's Indian Premier League title clash, saying the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper has come a long way.
Kohli, who has been instrumental in leading Royal Challengers Bangalore into the third IPL final, also said he and Warner have similar leadership skills.
The two men are heading the batting charts with Australia's Warner (779 in 16 games) trailing Kohli (919 in 15 matches - the highest ever in a single IPL edition) in this season's list.
"I think he (Warner) has come a long way as a leader in this tournament," Kohli said on the eve of the final in Bangalore on Sunday.
"The kind of hunger he has had in this tournament to get the job done speaks volumes of his character. I think we both think on similar lines.
"There is a lot of similarity in terms of approaching the game, wanting to contribute for the team's cause, getting people together and wanting them to be at their best," the Bangalore skipper said.
Kohli's counterpart Warner, whose team beat Gujarat Lions on Friday, was unable to make it to the press conference as his team's flight got delayed due to rain and thunderstorms in the Bangalore region.
The Australian has handled his side with aplomb and remains the only overseas captain of an IPL side this season after Kings XI Punjab skipper David Miller was sidelined midway.
"It's been wonderful to see how he has led the team especially with senior players like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra along with youngsters like Mustafizur (Rahman), and handling everyone well," said Kohli.
With both the sides eyeing their maiden IPL title, Kohli believes home support at Bangalore's M Chinnawsamy stadium will certainly go a long way to get the best out of the RCB players.
"As cricketers we understand that the energy people bring into the stadium plays a massive role in the team turning things around," said Kohli.
The 27-year-old, who has top guns like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle on his side, stressed the importance of not taking winning or losing to heart.
"See, composure is key. Try and be as normal as possible. It's the final, everybody will want to win. But be attached, yet be detached.
"If you win you don't stop there, if you lose it's not the end of the world," the captain said.
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