• Source:JND
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India and Pakistan will lock horns on Saturday, September 2 in Pallekele as fans gear up for the high-voltage clash between the rival teams.

This time the match holds extra significance as it gives the teams chances to test their combination against each other ahead of the World Cup 2023. The India vs Pakistan, in that way, is going to be a blockbuster.

Ahead of the legendary match, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said Virat Kohli calling him the "top" batter across formats in 2022 was a "very proud" moment that increased his confidence.

Back in 2022, Kohli praised Babar for not changing his attitude and respect toward him despite reaching new levels in the sport. He said such players go a long way and inspire a lot of people.

"It feels very good when someone passes comments like that about you," Babar told Star Sports in a video, a clip of which was released on Thursday. "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."

Babar also recalled his first meeting with the former Indian captain during the ODI World Cup 2019 in England.

"I went to meet him during the 2019 World Cup," he said. "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. I asked him some questions which I needed answers to and he explained everything very nicely."

The two batting maestros will be up against each other in the upcoming fixture that takes place in a couple of days.

Babar has already set the tournament on fire with his remarkable performance against Nepal in their first match on Wednesday.

He smashed his 19th ODI century and became the fastest batter to do so in this format, surpassing the likes of Hashim Amla and Virat as he went on to score 151 runs and was adjudged as Player of the Match.