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‘Are ladai wadai karo, taane waane maaro ek dusre ko’ – Fans react as Babar Azam shows respect for Virat Kohli ahead of Asia Cup 2023
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has praised Virat Kohli ahead of the Indo-Pak game in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. This match will be played in Pallekele on September 2. After the August 31 match between defending champions, Sri Lanka and three-time finalists, Bangladesh, there will be an off-day on September 1. Meanwhile, ahead of the ongoing tournament, the India-Pakistan game has been getting a lot of attention from broadcasters and the media.
Ahead of the big game, the Pakistan skipper spoke about meeting the former India skipper in the 2019 ODI World Cup. The former said that he has learned a lot from the 2008 U19 World Cup-winning skipper. Azam added that it feels to get the compliments from such a senior player.
“When I met Virat Kohli during the 2019 World Cup, he was at the peak of his power, he’s still at his peak. I asked him a few questions, he generously explained. I’ve learnt alot from him,” said Babar.
The 28-year-old added, “It feels good, when someone says something like that, what Virat said about me is a very proud thing. I got a lot of confidence from what he had said about me.”
I have a lot of regard for Babar Azam: Virat Kohli
Ahead of last year’s Asia Cup, the two-time World Champion spoke about his interaction with Azam four years back. The former said that the mutual respect has been the same among each other.
“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,” said Kohli 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.
This is how Twitter reacted
Masterclass 🐦 pic.twitter.com/o9Doof336K
— Kapil Pratap Singh (@kapil9994) August 31, 2023
Still few fans will abuse him. This is the toxic culture. Players have good bonding off the ground and fans are having a war.
Na job hai na kuch par debate karne sab aa jaate hai. Employment rate pta hai kahan kitni hai aur kya haal hai economy ke. Players ko literally fark nhi…
— CHARLIE (@CharlieGulshan) August 31, 2023
https://twitter.com/OxygenKohli18/status/1697116978396516429?s=20
Not defending or something but he has always appreciated the king
— Freak (@soul_freak80) August 31, 2023
Fking goat of this Modern era
King 👑 pic.twitter.com/GE0PFOgGF3— VINEETH𓃵🦖 (@sololoveee) August 31, 2023
Virat Kohli >>>> Zimbabar pic.twitter.com/33xHvFYYFT
— ORI_FCB 🗣️ (@Orient1300) August 31, 2023
Babar Azam Fan Club aur Virat Kohli Fan Club se Engagement kheenchne ki wahiyaad aur sadly safal koshish.
— Indian Tintin (@IndianTintin_) August 31, 2023
Zimbabar well played 🐦😃😃
— Kapil Pratap Singh (@kapil9994) August 31, 2023
https://twitter.com/Den__gue/status/1697116199182872790?s=20
Yeah Virat >> Babar by a mile
— Pratik (@fake_engineer7) August 31, 2023