"Babar Azam Wanted To...": Virat Kohli On First Interaction With Pakistan Star

Indian and Pakistani players don't get to play against each other too often but there still remains mutual respect among cricketers from both countries. Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, two of the greatest batters of their generation, haven't faced each other on many occasions but both know that the quality they bring to their respective teams. In a recent interaction, Kohli opened up his rapport with Babar, calling the Pakistani batter probably the top batter across formats in the entire world. Kohli and Babar have been setting new batting standards in the world of cricket.

While they compete on the field against each other, off the field Virat admitted that he has always held a lot of regard as well as respect for the top ODI batter. While speaking to Star Sports as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, Kohli spoke about his relationship with Babar.

"The first interaction I had with him (Babar Azam) 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 said.

"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," Kohli added.

The rivalry between both batters has always managed to be the centre of attraction in the action-packed encounter between India and Pakistan for the past five years.

When Kohli's struggle began with the bat, Babar entered his prime and surpassed Kohli in the ODI rankings to become the top ODI batter.

The 28-year-old Pakistan captain has played in 104 T20Is, 100 ODIs, and 49