Pakistan captain Babar Azam once again talked highly of India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli and said every cricketer goes through ups and down in their career. The premier India batter is going through a prolonged lean patch as his last international century came way back in 2019 and this year things have gone even worse for him this year as he failed to manufacture big runs.
The 33-year-old took a short break from cricket and missed West Indies and Zimbabwe tours, while he will return to competitive cricket with Asia Cup 2022.
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Babar heaped huge praise on the former India captain and said he is still one of the batters in the world.
“Nothing is easy in life. There are challenges everywhere. It is up to you how you achieve things in life and how you overcome the challenges you face. Virat is still one of the best batters world cricket,” Babar said on the eve of the blockbuster Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan.
“How you compete against a player like him, and that too in different conditions, is very important.”
Kohli, once again, found support from the Pakistani star batter, who indicated that an athlete has to be really strong to overcome failures.
“Every cricketer, if you ask me, faces ups and downs in their career. It’s not that there is only success and no failures. You really need a strong mindset to handle things in life that often do not go in your favour,” Babar said.
Pakistan registered a massive 10-wicket win over India in last year’s T20 World Cup group stage clash. While Babar suggested that the previous result won’t impact on the upcoming clash but assured that he is ready to give his 100 per cent on the field.
“Every cricket lover around the world waits for this clash. We, as cricketers also enjoy taking part in it. Both the teams try their best to keep their respective fans happy.”
The Pakistan captain candidly said that he enjoys interacting with the Indian cricketers before they square up in big tournaments.
“Yes, we love interacting with them. As cricketers, it is important we do that. I think it is pretty normal thing to do that. We do the same with the other teams as well,” Babar said.
Babar hinted that the absence of star left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi has slightly changed the dynamics of Sunday’s big game and had the 22-year-old taken part, things could have been different.
“Of course. Had Shaheen played the game against India tomorrow, things could have been in our favour. But he is out now. Having said that, our other fast bowlers are quite good and ready to deliver for the side,’ Babar said.
While India will be out the services of star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, Babar said they can’t afford to take the Indian attack lightly.
“Not any particular bowler, but I am taking every bowler quite seriously. I always do that as a batsman, irrespective of the fact, who I face. Every team has their top bowlers, and as a batsman you always have to ready yourself to face them. They can give you a tough time at any given moment,” Babar said.
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