Team India's batting maestro heaps praise about Pakistan skipper Babar Azam

Babar Azam is considered by Pakistan to be their biggest international sports star, and Virat Kohli shares this opinion, calling Babar "probably the best batsman in the world."

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When asked about his friendship with the Pakistani skipper in a Star Sports interview from the previous year, Kohli said they had always gotten along well ever since they first met in Manchester on a rainy day in 2019.

"I've always enjoyed watching him play."

The Royal Challengers Bangalore batter said that "The first interaction I had with him was during the 2019 World Cup after the game in Manchester. I've known Imad 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."

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Over the course of the last five years, the rivalry involving Kohli and Babar has consistently been a key component of the historical drama of matches between India and Pakistan, and passionate comparisons in both nations have intensified the flavour of the games. Kohli was the best ODI batter in the world when the two of them first met during that World Cup match in Manchester. He put up a 65-ball 77 on that particular day as India cruised to an 89-run triumph.

Babar has advanced to the pinnacle of the sport over time as he has reached the peak of his career, especially when playing the ODI format. He surpassed Hashim Amla as well as Viv Richards earlier this year to become the batsman to achieve 5,000 ODI runs, the fastest in history. 

On September 2, India and Pakistan square off in Kandy in a match for the Asia Cup's group stage. Their World Cup match is slated on October 14 in Ahmedabad, and they are expected to play at least another time in the Super 4 stage.