Pakistan captain Babar Azam has credited Virat Kohli for teaching him how to handle pressure on the grandest of stages and that it's a privilege to earn words of praise from him. The right-handed batter also labeled the former Indian captain as his idol and recalled his interaction with Kohli in 2019.
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam have established themselves as two of the best all-format batters of this generation. While there is immense competition between the players on the field, the duo share deep respect for one another off it. Ahead of last year's Asia Cup, Kohli also hailed Babar's batting skills and consistency across formats.
Speaking on Star Sports, Babar stated that Kohli's words of praise is massive encouragement and stated that he got to learn a lot during his interaction with the Indian great in 2019.
"It feels very good when someone passes comments like that about you. Virat Kohli's comments about me, that was a very proud moment for me and it felt very good. Some things and some praises give you confidence. I went to meet him during the 2019 World Cup. He was at his peak then and is there now as well. I wanted to take (learn) something from him. I got to learn a lot."
Babar Azam sizzles in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023:
Meanwhile, Babar was at the top of his game in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023 in Multan as he smashed 151, taking on Nepal bowlers to propel Pakistan to 342 in 50 overs. While the Pakistan skipper top-scored with 151, Iftikhar Ahmed also blasted a hundred and shared a 214-run partnership with Babar.
The Men in Green also came out firing on all cylinders with the ball as Shadab Khan became the pick of the bowlers with figures of 6.4-0-27-4. The fast-bowling trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf shared 5 wickets between them in 15 overs to propel the hosts to a 238-run win.
