Virat Kohli praises Babar Azam ahead of the Asia Cup. Virat Kohli also discussed his first meeting with Babar during the India-Pakistan World Cup match in 2019.
The entire cricketing world is waiting for India and Pakistan to ignite probably the biggest rivalry in cricket history when they meet on September 02, 2023, in Kandy at the Asia Cup. The fans are already preparing for the high-voltage confrontation, with comparisons and analyses of both squads underway. The most popular comparison among fans from both countries is between top batsmen Virat Kohli and Babar Azam.
Despite the harsh comparisons between the two batters, the pair has openly admitted to having mutual admiration for one another.
Virat Kohli recently revealed specifics of his first meeting. Babar during the 2019 World Cup match between India and Pakistan.
“The first time I met him [Babar] was after the game in Manchester during the 2019 [ODI] World Cup.” I’ve known Imad [Wasim] since the Under-19 World Cup, and he mentioned that Babar wanted to speak with him. “We sat down and talked about the game,” Kohli remarked on Star Sports.
Speaking further ahead, the batting legend revealed that the Pakistani star has always admired him and referred to him as the best batter across all formats.
“From the beginning, I observed a lot of attention and respect from him, and that hasn’t changed. Regardless, he is, without a doubt, the best batsman in the world across all formats. “He consistently delivers, and I’ve always enjoyed watching him play,” he continued.
Notably, Kohli and Babar are frequently compared as the finest batsmen on their respective teams. With Kohli experiencing a slump between 2020 and 2022. Babar has surpassed him in the batting rankings in all three formats of the game. In 2021, Pakistan’s captain dethroned Kohli to become the number one ODI batter.
He also held the T20I batting ranking for 1155 days, shattering Kohli’s record (1013 days) in June 2022. The ICC awarded the 28-year-old the prestigious ‘ODI Cricketer of the Year’ and ‘Cricketer of the Year’ honours in 2022 for his remarkable performance over the past two years.
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Asia Cup: Virat Kohli all-ready to take on Pakistan
Meanwhile, Kohli has regained his mojo after snapping a 1000-day century drought during the Asia Cup 2022. Following that, the former India captain performed the innings of his life against Pakistan, scoring 82* (53) and guiding India to an unlikely victory during the T20 World Cup 2022 game. Kohli has thus overcome his century drought in all three forms and is ready to face his favorite opponents in the Asia Cup and World Cup.
The rivalry between Babar and Kohli will resurface as India and Pakistan clash for many games over the next three months.
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