COLOMBO: Indian opener Shubman Gill heaped praise on Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ahead of the high-octane Pakistan vs India Super 4 clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday.
Describing Babar Azam, who is the No.1 ranked ODI batter currently, as a “world-class” batter, Shubman Gill said they follow his batting style and admire him.
“Yes, definitely we follow him. When a player is doing well. Everyone watches him to find out why they are doing so good, what their specialty is. The same thing goes for Babar. He is a world-class player and we all do admire him,” the right-handed batter told reporters on the eve of the Pakistan vs India Super 4 match in Colombo.
Babar Azam began the Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a 151 against Nepal in the group stage in Multan. He did not get to bat against India after which he got out against Bangladesh in Lahore in a Super Fours match which Pakistan won by 7 wickets.
Babar has been leading Pakistan well in Asia Cup 2023 and the former champions are considered one of the favourites to win the continental tournament.
Babar is the No. 1 batter in ICC Men’s ODI rankings and the right-hander has been in fine form in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India.
Having scored over 5300 runs, including 19 ODI hundreds, in just 106 matches, Babar has established himself as one of the modern-day greats in the limited-overs format of the game with an average of 59 in ODIs.
‘Quality bowling attack’
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill also spoke highly of the Pakistan pace-bowling attack, highlighting that India batters needed time to get used to the left-arm pace.
Notably, the top-order failed in the Group A match against Pakistan as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were out early to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who got the ball moving both ways. Shubman Gill struggled for his 32-ball 10 before he was castled by Haris Rauf.
Asked about India’s troubles dealing with the strong Pakistan pace attack, Gill said it has a lot to do with the unfamiliarity factor.
“When you are playing at this level, you play left-armer pacers previously at some point in your career. We do not play Pakistan that much as compared to the other sides. They have a quality bowling attack. When you do not face such a bowling attack frequently and are not used to it, it makes a difference,” he said.
Gill then explained why the Pakistan fast bowlers are making such an impact.
“They are very different fast bowlers and they have their own specialities. Shaheen Shah gets the ball to swing a lot. Naseem Shah is all about pace and likes help from the wicket. They present different challenges in different conditions,” said Gill.
Gill said that Indian batters will have to dominate, unlike last time when the top order was blown away for 66. “As openers, we need to make a good start and dominate them from the beginning,” Gill said.
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