Babar Azam Has The Potential To Become No. 1 Batter In All Formats - Dinesh Karthik

Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik reserved huge praise for Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, claiming that he has what it takes to become the highest-ranked batter in all three formats of the game.

Babar is currently the No. 1 batter in both white-ball formats but he occupies fifth place in ICC’s Test rankings for batters. Joe Root leads the way after a mercurial 2021 season where he broke multiple records.

Currently, Babar has played 40 Tests for Pakistan and has scored 2851 runs at an average of 45.98. He has scored 6 centuries and 21 fifties, well on his way to becoming one of Pakistan’s best batters.

“One-hundred percent (he is capable of achieving that). He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up. He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too.”

“I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country,” Karthik told in the latest episode of ‘The ICC Review’.

Notably, since Babar’s rise, there has been a debate on ‘expanding’ the Fab Four and including the Pakistani skipper. Karthik also agreed with the same and termed the 28-year-old as a ‘special player’.

“It is a very strong ‘Fab Four’ that we are talking about and they have obviously been there for much longer, but there is no doubt that Babar has all the credentials and he is going to make it a ‘Fab Five’. There is no doubt he is there or thereabouts… he is a very special player,” he added.

“I think he has definitely tweaked his technique a bit here” – Dinesh Karthik

Karthik also asserted that Babar Azam has made slight technical changes in his game over the years, which has allowed him to stay ahead of the curve. At the highest level, players always need to improve and Babar has successfully done so.

“When you play international cricket you have got to keep changing a little bit here and there to keep improving your technique.

“Sometimes just by one percent a lot of the time so you can go on and achieve success in that particular tour you are on, so I think he has definitely tweaked his technique a bit here and there over a period of time,” Karthik mentioned.

Also Read – RR vs RCB: “Harshal Patel Does Not Get The Amount Of Credit He Deserves” – Harbhajan Singh On RCB’s Unsung Hero In IPL