Former Indian captain Virat Kohli spoke highly of Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, and termed him “the top batsman in the world”.
Virat Kohli shared his first encounter in Manchester with Babar Azam when Imad Wasim introduced Babar to Kohli.
“The first interaction I had with him [Babar] was during the 2019 [ODI] World Cup after the game in Manchester. I’ve known Imad [Wasim] since the Under-19 World Cup, and he said Babar wanted to have a chat,” Kohli said.
He further talked about the meeting and the friendship they shared since that first meeting.
“I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day one, and that hasn’t changed,” he added.
Kohli then termed Babar as the top batter across the globe and claimed that he enjoys watching Babar play.
“He is so down to earth character, he will go a long way as a player. He is probably the top batsman right now across all formats. He performs so consistently and I’ve always enjoyed watching him play.”
Babar Azam is currently sitting at the top of the ODI batting ranking, the position which was once held by Virat Kohli. Both batters are celebrated across the globe as the best batters of this era.
However, despite the comparison and debates regarding who is better, the cricketers always displayed mutual respect for each other.
Last year, in July Babar came out in support of Virat with a motivating tweet, “This too shall pass. Stay strong” and received an overwhelming response from the cricket fans.
Virat, also responded to Babar’s supportive tweet for him in a challenging phase of his career, while also wishing latter the luck. “Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best,” Virat replied to Babar in his tweet.
They will come face to face in the Asia Cup, when Pakistan and India will collide at Kandy on September 2.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to treat the fans with as many as three India-Pakistan games if both teams reach the final.
The arch-rivals will also feature in the most anticipated clash of the ODI World Cup at Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14.