Virat Kohli Calls Babar Azam 'Probably The Top Batter In World Across Formats'

India's star batter Virat Kohli has praised Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as he calls him one of the best batters in the world across formats recalling their first meeting in the ODI World Cup in 2019 in England.

Kohli spoke of his relationship with the Pakistan captain and revealed that they had always been on good terms and acknowledged each other's game.

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“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," Virat said during in an interaction on Star Sports.

“I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day one, and that hasn’t changed. 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,” he added.

The rivalry between the two modern greats has only added to India vs Pakistan contest in recent times as it becomes more engaging with these two batters playing against each other.

When the two met at that World Cup game in Manchester, Kohli was ranked the top ODI batter in the world. On that day, he scored a 65-ball 77 as India eased to an 89-run victory.

Babar currently is considered to be in the prime of his career as he has taken his game to top quality in recent years, especially in the ODI format.

Earlier this year, he became the fastest player in ODI history to reach 5,000 ODI runs, beating out Hashim Amla and Viv Richards. He's currently the top-ranked ODI player in the world by some distance with 886 points while Kohli is in the ninth spot with 705 points.

Babar is also ranked third in T20I cricket and fourth in Test cricket, as he is the only batter to make the top five in all three formats.

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India and Pakistan will lock horns in Kandy in a group-stage game of the Asia Cup on September 2. They are also likely to play at least once more in the Super 4 stage and are scheduled to play a World Cup match on October 14 in Ahmedabad.