Virat Kohli "Should Have Responded By Now": Ex-Pakistan Captain On Babar Azam's Tweet

16.07.2022 - 07:43 sports.ndtv.com

Pakistan captain Babar Azam won a lot of praise after he tweeted in support of Virat Kohli, saying "this too shall pass". Kohli has been going through a slump in form and he has failed to get going in the ongoing series against England.

In the second ODI at Lord's, the right-handed batter edged a delivery well outside off-stump and hence he lost his wicket. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has also given his take on Babar supporting Kohli, saying the latter should have responded by now. "Be it cricket or any other sport, it helps in improving relations.

Babar has sent a wonderful message; I do not know whether there has been a response or not from Virat. He should have responded by now.

If there is a response, then it would be a big thing. But I do not think there would be any response," Afridi told SAMAA News.

cricket India Cricket Team on Jos Buttler Virat Kohli Babar Azam Shahid Afridi India Sri Lanka Pakistan

The Indian women's cricket team will begin its campaign at the Commonwealth Games on Friday against Australia at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The Indian team is grouped alongside Australia, Pakistan and Barbados in Group A. Ahead of the fixture against Australia, Virat Kohli wished the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side luck for the entire event.

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.

"Don't Think We Have Any Right...": India Batter On Why Virat Kohli Should be Left Alone

Virat Kohli's form off late has become a huge talking point, and the big scores have not come for the batter. In the recently-concluded ODI series against England, Kohli failed to get into his groove and he registered scores of 16 and 17. Before that, he had failed in the Edgbaston Test and the T20I series against England as well. The batter has now gotten the support of Robin Uthappa, as the T20 World Cup-winner said that the batter needs to be left alone as he knows how to deal with things.

"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.

"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.

"Should Be The Captain As Long As He Plays": Pakistan Great On Babar Azam

Legendary batter Javed Miandad was all praise for Pakistan captain Babar Azam, saying that the star batter should lead the team until he retires. Earlier this week, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the first Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Babar starred with the bat in the first innings, hitting a brilliant century to rescue Pakistan's sinking ship. While analysing Pakistan's win, former Pakistan captain Miandad highlighted that Babar has led the team from the front, saying that the team is playing more as a unit under his leadership.