Indian star batter and former captain Virat Kohli hailed the Pakistani skipper Babar Azam and called him “probably the top batsman in the world”.
Kohli, 34, talked about his relationship with Azam saying that the two had always been on good terms since their first meeting in Manchester in 2019.
Kohli recalled his first interaction with Azam saying that it was Imad Wasim who introduced Babar to him.
"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. We sat down and spoke about the game. I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day one, and that hasn't changed," Kohli told Star Sports last year.
The 34-year-old said that the Pakistan batter has been consistently performing ever since his debut.
"Regardless of the fact he's probably the top batsman in the world across formats, and rightly so. Performs so consistently and I've always enjoyed watching him play."
Both batters have mutual respect for each other. In 2022, when Kohli was going through a rough patch in his career, Azam shared a picture on social media wishing the Indian a quick comeback.
It must be noted that Babar vs Virat has been a debate going around in the cricket world for the past four years and there seems to be no end to it.
However, with the Cricket World Cup 2023 around the corner, with Pakistan’s skipper sitting as the no.1 ranked batter in the world, it would be interesting to see to which angle the mega event turns this debate.
The two batters will come face to face once again when Pakistan will take on India on October 14 in the World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
- Virat Kohli
- Babar Azam