Kevin De Bruyne Inspires Cricket Star Phil Salt

Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland's on-field equation at Manchester City has inspired Phil Salt to describe his partnership with Virat Kohli.

What happened?

Phil Salt hailed Virat Kohli as the most complete player he has ever played with, drawing an analogy with Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland's partnership.

The England opener has lifted the lid on his prolific partnership with Kohli, painting a glowing picture of the Indian superstar's cricketing brain.

Why it matters for Kevin De Bruyne

The comparison to Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland's partnership highlights the depth of understanding between Salt and Kohli, with Salt praising Kohli's clarity and decisiveness.

Salt recalled a telling moment from this year's IPL at Eden Gardens, where Kohli walked over between overs with a simple instruction, saying "Kill him."

What comes next?

The partnership between Salt and Kohli has helped fire Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back IPL titles, with Salt praising Kohli's ability to read the game on his behalf.

With 9,336 runs in the IPL, Kohli is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the league's history, and Salt's admiration for him knows no bounds.

The Englishman praised Kohli's decisiveness in the heat of battle, saying "He's not shy of running down the wicket to me and telling me, 'This is the time. Kill him. This is the over. Finish it now'".

Kevin De Bruyne's influence on the partnership between Salt and Kohli is evident, with Salt drawing parallels between the two pairs, highlighting the importance of having a teammate who can read the game on your behalf.

The idea of a teammate reading the game on your behalf is remarkably rare in cricket, making the partnership between Salt and Kohli all the more special.

As Salt continues to play alongside Kohli, he will be looking to build on their successful partnership, with Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland's partnership serving as a inspiration.