Virat Kohli lauds Babar Azam before Asia Cup, WC showdown, says 'probably top batsman in the world right now'

India and Pakistan are set to look horns in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 as the mind games have started to take center stage in both camps. Firing the first shots on the opposition camp, former India captain Virat Kohli praised Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for his batting and hinted that he is probably the best batter in the world right now. With three weeks to go for the first Asia Cup 2023 meeting between India and Pakistan, the build-up is taking place nicely in both camps.

Virat lauds Babar

"The first interaction I had with him [Babar] was during the 2019 [ODI] World Cup after the game in Manchester. I've known Imad [Wasim] 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.

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"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."

It is worth noting that, India and Pakistan could meet five times from now until the end of the World Cup. The two nations are drawn in the same group of Asia Cup along with Nepal and are all but guaranteed a top-two finish considering the former’s inexperience at the highest level. If this is the case, both India and Pakistan will reignite their rivalry in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup. Again, if both teams top the Super Four stage they will meet for the third time in the final of the Asia Cup.

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Virat’s obsession with Pakistan

Virat though will have bitter-sweet memories of Pakistan's affair in the World Cup, as he remains the only Indian skipper to lose to Pakistan in the grand tournament. Babar’s Pakistan beat India comprehensively in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Virat though had his revenge in the Australian version of the T20 World Cup in 2022 when he led India to a famous win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Both India and Pakistan are set to meet on a rescheduled date of Saturday, October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India have never lost to Pakistan in the ODI World Cup in seven meetings and will look to maintain the dominating run. They could also meet in the semi-final or the final of the World Cup if a certain set of results are met.

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