‘Sachin Tendulkar played within himself, Virat Kohli still learning’

Melbourne: Australian fast bowling great Brett Lee feels that India's number one batsman Virat Kohli is still on a learning curve and he should try and curb his natural affinity for aggressive strokeplay.

Although an admirer of Kohli's batting, Lee said the feisty batsman would do well not to assert himself too much and explained the difference he felt in the youngster's game from the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.

"Sachin knew his game better as you would expect with his wealth of experience. He used to play within himself. For me, Virat is a class player but he is still on a learning curve. He has to learn the art of not trying to over-dominate opposition," the 38-year-old Aussie great said.

Lee feels that "Indian team could be semi-final contenders, if they can get their act together. My other picks are Australia, New Zealand and South Africa."

The fastest bowler in world cricket in his heydays, Lee did admit his bias towards Australian pacers playing in this edition of mega-event even though he singled out Umesh Yadav as a talented bowler.

"For me the pacers to look out for in the World Cup will be Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Keeping World Cup aside, I really like (Umesh) Yadav of India -- he has the pace and the temperament," said Lee, who played 76 Tests and 221 ODIs for Australia.

Asked about what went wrong with the Indian pace attack during the Test series against Australia, Lee was frank in his assessment.

"I don't think they (Indian pacers) have been consistent enough. In the Test series, they would bowl good 'periods' but let the batsman off the hook. I also feel that they needed to win the pivotal moments. They needed to get the tail out, that is where Australia won the Tests matches.

Speaking about how he found fast bowling such an engaging aspect of the game of cricket, Lee said, "There is an excitement about fast bowling. Batsmen feel truly tested playing genuine pace bowling and the crowds enjoy the speed of it all. As a bowler, I enjoyed the challenge."

Many bowling coaches believe that pace is an over-rated virtue but Lee begs to differ on that aspect.