In a video shared by the BCCI, Virat Kohli was seen shaking hands with Babar Azam and greeting him ahead of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 tie.
Watch: Virat Kohli, Babar Azam catch up ahead of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup tie
The stage is set for yet another chapter of the epic cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan as both sides are set to face off in the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. The contest will feature two of the greatest batters of the modern era – Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, and the competition between the two has already started setting the tone of the clash.
While Babar, the Pakistan skipper has been in tremendous form, Kohli, who once ruled the batting charts, has been jostling hard for runs. In fact, the former India captain is returning to action after a gap, with his previous international being against England last month and India would be hoping for their star batter to come back to his run-scoring best.
However, Kohli has done some solid homework it seems, as videos of him practicing big shots in Dubai has already gone viral on social media. However, it was another moment that sent social media into a frenzy on Wednesday – a meet-up between the two cricketing greats Kohli and Babar ahead of India’s practice session in Dubai.
In a video shared by the BCCI, Kohli can be seen exchanging pleasantries with the Pakistan captain. Although it is a 35-second-long clip, the moment between the two premier batters is being celebrated the most by the fans.
Kohli and Babar share a healthy relation both on and off the field. When Kohli was struggling to make an impact in England, the Pakistan skipper had come out in support of the former and had tweeted: “This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli.”
Kohli had reacted to it with an equally uplifting message and written: “Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best.”
The last time the two nations met was at the same venue during the T20 World Cup 2021, a contest which Pakistan won by 10 wickets. While Babar and Co. will hope for a repeat, the Indian unit, led by Rohit Sharma, will look to settle the score this time around. Given there are no upsets or surprised unfolding in the tournament, India and Pakistan will face each other twice more besides this Sunday’s blockbuster.
On current form, Babar is expected to continue his good form. In July, Babar, who is already on a record-breaking spree, surpassed Kohli to become the fastest Asian batter to cross 10,000 runs in terms of innings. Earlier, in June, Babar had shattered another record that once belonged to Kohli as he became the World No. 1 T20I batter for the longest time. Kohli remained at the top of the list for a total of 1013 days.
