Kohli today notched up his second successive hundred, a 92-ball 106-run innings studded with 11 fours and a six, in the fourth and penultimate ODI against Australia and Lee doffed his hat to the Indian Test captain.
"Hats off to Virat Kohli. He is a legend. He has been in terrific form. Where do you bowl to the great man, it is almost like Sachin Tendulkar when he used to come out to bat. He had that presence and Kohli too has that aura around him," Lee told 'bcci.Tv'.
India have already lost the five-match series and Lee said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men need to fight back.
"I think India played particularly well to score 300, two times then getting close and then getting run down by Australia. They are playing good cricket. Unfortunately for them, they really didn't have the attack to bowl Australia out. Australia chased down 300 on three occasion," he said.
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"Unfortunately for India, that was not the case and India have to fight back, they have to make sure they get early wickets and expose the middle order of the Australian cricket team pretty early."
Despite Indian bowlers coming a cropper, the 39-year-old Lee had good things to say about them, especially Umesh Yadav and new left-arm seamer Barinder Sran.
Last January, Lee had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after a 20-year career. He had called time on his international commitments in July 2012, but continued to play Twenty20 in both the Australian Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League.