Babar Azam revealed that he had received advice early on in his career which he said helped him. (Image: AFP)
In the highly anticipated game between India vs Pakistan, Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, shared that he received advice from Virat Kohli during the initial phases of his career.
Pakistan’s star batter and captain, Babar Azam revealed that he received a pep-talk from his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli during the initial phases of his career which he says helped him a lot.
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The matchup between arch-rivals. India vs Pakistan is set to take place on Saturday for the Asia Cup. The 50-over tournament will also act as a prelude to the big trophy, the 2023 ICC World Cup.
The match between India vs Pakistan is set to take place in Pallekele, Kandy.
The Pakistan skipper is currently at the top of the ICC ODI batter’s rankings. He is also amongst the top 5 in the T20 and Test formats as well. Despite the rivalry between the two nations, both Babar and Virat have always praised each other.
When asked about the debate between two ace batters, Azam responded, “I can’t comment on the debate. Let’s leave that to (the fans).”
Azam maintained a respectful approach when asked about the highly debated topic amongst fans regarding who is the better batter between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli.
Babar further added, “There should be mutual respect. He is older than me and I respect him. I have learned a lot from him.”
The Pakistan skipper revealed to the press that he had chats with the Indian batting star during the early phases of his international career which appeared to have helped him a lot. He said, “I have said earlier that when I started (international cricket) I spoke to him and it helped me a lot.” Babar did not reveal the details of the conversation but it definitely must have helped him considering that he is amongst the conversation for the best batters in all formats today.
Virat Kohli was also seen sharing candid conversations with the Pakistan players and also hugged the fast-bowler, Haris Rauf which was caught on camera as both the sides trained under the lights in anticipation of the big clash between the titans.
The Pakistan side announced the playing 11 for the match against India tomorrow. The side will remain unchanged after the hammering they delivered to Nepal in the opening match where Pakistan secured a victory by 238 runs. Babar starred in that match by scoring 151 runs off 130 deliveries.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi