Virat Kohli gives shocking statement on Babar Azam before Asia Cup
Fans are eagerly waiting for India vs Pakistan which will kick off on September 02 in Kandy during Asia Cup 2023.
Crickate
The entire cricketing community is eagerly anticipating India and Pakistan to ignite undoubtedly the greatest rivalry in cricket on September 2, 2023, in Kandy, Sri Lanka, during the Asia Cup. Fans have already begun comparing and analysing the two teams in preparation for the high-stakes matchup. Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are the batters most frequently compared by the supporters of both countries.
Despite the competitive comparisons between the two batters, they have repeatedly acknowledged their mutual respect for one another in public. Recently, Virat Kohli described his first encounter with Babar during India and Pakistan's 2019 World Cup match.
"My first interaction with him [Babar] occurred during the 2019 [ODI] World Cup following the Manchester match. I've known Imad [Wasim] since the Under-19 World Cup, and he informed me that Babar wished to speak with me. We sat down and discussed the game," Kohli said on Star Sports.
The unconventional batsman went on to say that the Pakistani superstar has a great deal of respect for him from day one and has dubbed him the best batsman across all formats.
Since the first day I met him, he has displayed a high level of regard and respect. Despite the fact that he is arguably the best batsman in the world across all formats, he is not the best. I've always relished watching him perform because he is so consistent, he said.
Notably, Kohli and Babar are frequently compared as the greatest batsmen for their respective teams. Babar has surpassed Kohli in the batting rankings for all three formats of the game between 2020 and 2022, when Kohli endured a difficult period. In 2021, the Pakistan captain surpassed Kohli to become the top ODI batsman.
He dominated the T20I batters rankings for an additional 1155 days, surpassing Kohli's previous record of 1013 days in June 2022. The International Cricket Council (ICC) presented the 28-year-old with the prestigious 'ODI Cricketer of the Year' and 'Cricketer of the Year' awards in 2022 for his remarkable performance over the previous two years.
Virat Kohli is prepared for Pakistan
In the meantime, Kohli has regained his form after ending his century hiatus of over a thousand days during the Asia Cup 2022. After that, the former India captain played the innings of his life, scoring 82* (53), against Pakistan to help India achieve an improbable victory during the T20 World Cup 2022 match. Since then, Kohli has scored centuries in all three formats and is prepared to face his preferred opponents in the Asia Cup and World Cup.
As India and Pakistan face off in multiple matches over the next three months, the rivalry between Babar and Kohli will once again be in full swing.
