ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam on Friday backed Indian cricketer Virat Kohli to come out of his poor form and once again register a strong performance with the bat.
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have given birth to arguably the most intense cricket rivalry of all time, with cricket fans across the globe tuning in to watch an India-Pakistan clash whenever it takes place.
Kohli, India’s former all-format captain, has hit a bad patch recently. A groin injury ruled him out for the first ODI against England while the batter scored a poor 16 runs in the second match against the English side at Lord’s.
In the recently-concluded T20I series against England, Kohli could only manage scores of 1 and 11. He has gone 77 international innings without scoring a century, something that has earned him the ire of Indian fans and former cricketers alike.
Azam, on the other hand, has been on a purple patch lately. Not only has he dethroned Kohli from the top spot at the ODI batter’s rankings, he also occupies the number one spot in the world’s T20I batter’s rankings.
In Pakistan’s recent series against Australia and West Indies, Azam scored centuries against each.
“This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli,” Azam wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of him and Kohli from last year’s India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash.
