Batting maestro Virat Kohli heaped huge praise on Pakistan captain Babar Azam and said that world cricket needs players like him to keep things exciting. Kohli and Babar shared good camaraderie off the field as the two star batters were often seen talking highly of each other in public. The two icons of world cricket will clash on Sunday in the group stage match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Dubai.
The Indian batting maverick recalled his first interaction with Babar and said it was Imad Wasim who came to him and asked to have a chat with the Pakistan batter.
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“The first interaction I had with him was (during the) 2019 World Cup after the game in Manchester. Imad (Wasim), whom I have known since U-19 cricket because we played against each other, said Babar wanted to have a chat. We sat down, spoke about the game," Kohli told Star Sports.
Babar is currently the number 1 ranked batter in ICC T20I Rankings and has become one of the best in business in the past couple of years.
Kohli hailed Babar’s humility despite being the top batsman in the world cricket across formats at the moment. The former India skipper said that he enjoys watching the premier batter play.
“I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day 1. And that hasn’t changed, regardless of the fact that he is probably the top batsman in the world right now across formats, performing so consistently. Rightly so, he has amazing talent. I have always enjoyed watching him play," he added.
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Babar recently extended support to the Indian skipper with a special message on Twitter when several former cricketers were criticizing Kohli for his lean patch.
The premier India batter further talked about Babar’s attitude towards him and hailed his grounded cricketing foundations.
“That (his behavior) hasn’t changed because he is performing now and he is coming into his own. I don’t see his attitude or his approach changing towards me, which is a very good sign of someone who is very grounded in his foundations of his upbringing. His cricketing foundations as well are very solid," the former India captain added.
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Kohli further congratulate the Pakistan skipper and said players like him are the inspiration for many and are important to make things exciting in world of cricket.
“These kind of players, characters go a long way. They inspire a lot of people. I see that happening with him as well. I congratulated him for how he has been playing and I told him how amazing to watch it is. I wish him and the best and he deserves all of this. Eventually, you need players like him to keep world cricket exciting," he added.
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