Kohli is exceptional, but ABD is the toughest I’ve ever bowled to: Mitchell Johnson

FORMER AUSTRALIA PACER MITCHELL JOHNSON reckons South Africa's premier batsman AB de Villiers to be the toughest he ever had to bowl to. The KXIP bowler who has bowled to a number of batting greats in his prolific career admitted that the Proteas batsman was a standout. 

Speaking to cricket.com.au, Johnson said, 

“AB de Villiers was the guy who really stood out for me. AB was a guy that was above everyone else for a long period; just how calm he was, he had all the shots."

The Aussie stalwart enjoyed some of the finest moments in his career ripping apart the Proteas with his blistering pace. He has dismissed de Villiers five times in Tests and three times in ODIs since the first time they collided in 2008.

Johnson also added praise for the in-form India Test captain Virat Kohli but conceded that he did not find him as the hardest batsman to crack. 

"Virat was always competitive. You always had that challenge coming up against him, that you could have a bit of a go at him and he'd lose it for a couple of balls but then he'd get back on target. He played exceptionally well against us in Australia (during the 2014-15 summer)."