Virat Kohli replies to Babar Azam's 'stay strong' tweet: 'Keep shining and rising; wish you all the best'

16.07.2022 - 16:49 timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Virat Kohli was dismissed for 16 in the second ODI against England at Lord's, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam put out a tweet with a picture of him and Kohli from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last year, with the caption reading as "this too shall pass.

Stay strong #viratkohli." Soon after the tweet was released, many cricket fans from around the world started praising Babar for supporting Kohli.

Now, on Saturday, Kohli replied to Babar's post, thanking him for his words of support. "Thank you. Keep shining and rising.

Wish you all the best (clap emoji)," read Kohli's reply on Twitter. On the eve of Pakistan's first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, in a press conference, Babar had revealed the reason behind tweeting in favour of Kohli, who is going through a prolonged lean patch in international cricket. "Definitely.

cricket Babar Azam Trent Bridge India Sri Lanka Pakistan

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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced its 16-player squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures against the Netherlands from August 16-21 and a 15-member side for the ACC T20 Asia Cup, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates from August 27 to September 11. Fast bowler Naseem Shah has been named in both the squads in place of Hasan Ali, while Salman Ali Agha, who toured England in 2021 for the ODIs, has been recalled.

Watch: Fawad Alam And Babar Azam's Mix-Up Spells Calamity For Pakistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been in stunning form with the bat across formats, but on Thursday, he found himself involved in a horrendous mix-up that led to the run-out of teammate Fawad Alam. The incident happened on Day 5 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium. Fawad Alam drove a ball towards mid-on and took off for a single, but Babar Azam at the non-striker's end was caught ball-watching, and when he realised Fawad was half-way down the pitch, he first looked to start off for the run but then sent his partner back.

Babar Azam Achieves Another High, Now Only Player To Be In Top-Three Across Formats

Babar Azam is currently one of the best batters across formats in world cricket. The Pakistan cricket team captain recently got praised by none other that former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting. "I saw him up close and personal a couple of years ago out here in a Test series against Australia and I said it then, I thought the sky was the limit for this guy as far as Test match batting (was concerned) and, if anything, he's probably got better and better in the last couple of years," Ponting said on the ICC Review. Now, Babar has achieved yet another high.

"Probably Got Better And Better": Ex-Australia Captain On Babar Azam

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has praised Pakistan captain Babar Azam for his batting. Ponting said that Babar has "got better and better" in the last couple of years. While lauding Babar and his progress in the batting department, Ponting also said that Pakistan's chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia will be directly dependent on the right-handed batter's performance. He feels that the side cannot win the mega event in case Babar fails to perform with the bat.

Don't think Pakistan can win T20 World Cup, if Babar Azam doesn't score runs: Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting feels that Pakistan can't win the ICC Men's T20 World Cup later this year if their captain Babar Azam doesn't have a great tournament with the bat. Pakistan's Waqar Younis recently said his former team had an excellent chance of claiming a second T20 World Cup title in Australia, but Ponting isn't so sure.

"Sarfaraz Ahmed Was An Active Captain Whereas Babar Azam...": Pakistan Star Compares The Two

Babar Azam's career graph is on the rise. He is currently the world No. 1 batter in ODIs and T20I in ICC rankings. In Tests, he is ranked No. 4. "As a player it's a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and, for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It's not like if you are the top player in one or two formats, you go easy," the official website of ICC quoted Babar as saying recently. "If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It's something I am preparing for. It's going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too," he added.