Pak captain Babar Azam reacts to DK's 'he has potential to become No. 1 batter across formats' remark

Babar Azam has been in sublime form in all forms of the game. In terms of ICC rankings for batters, the Pakistani captain is the No. 1 batsman in white-ball formats whereas he finds himself in the top five (5th spot) in Tests.

With him being consistent across formats of late for Men in Green, India's veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthikrecently lavished huge praise on Babar and stated that he has the potential to become the top-ranked batter in all forms of the game.

"One-hundred per cent (Babar is capable of achieving that)," Karthik had said on The ICC Review. "He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up. He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too. I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

ALSO READ |'A lot of people had given up on me' - Dinesh Karthik reacts after his memorable Team India comeback

In response, Babar, during a press conference, stated, "Definitely, as a player it's a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It's not like if you are the top player in 1 or 2 formats, you go easy. If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It's something I am preparing for. It's going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too."

The prolific right-hander has so far amassed2,851,4,261 and2,686 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, respectively. He will soon lead the Men in Green in three ODIs versus West Indies at home.