How Virat Kohli's Advice Helped Babar Azam Improve As Batsman
Published - 14 Apr 2021, 07:53 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:44 AM
The Newly-crowned No.1 ranked batsman in One-day International cricket, Babar Azam, has revealed how the legendary Virat Kohli’s advice helped him become a better cricketer.
Azam, on Wednesday, leapfrogged Virat Kohli to claim the numero-uno spot in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, ending the Indian captain’s 41-month long reign at the top of the world.
With Babar accession as a top-class batsman, he has often been compared with Virat Kohli but the Pakistan captain has always maintained that he looks up to his Indian counterpart.
Soon after Babar Azam became the No.1 ranked ODI batsman, Pakistan Cricket Board released a video where Babar, in a conversation with opener Imam-ul-Haq, revealed how Virat Kohli’s advice helped him become a better batsman
Babar revealed that Virat had advised him to take his net sessions seriously, something the 26-year-old admitted he initially used to approach with a casual mind.
”Previously, I used to play at nets with a casual mind but slowly I overcame this. I understood that If I am not taking my sessions seriously, how can I perform in matches?,” Babar Azam said.
Babar revealed that Kohli’s advice helped him immensely and since then he makes it a point to not get satisfied until he gets what he wants to achieve from the net session.
“In this regard, I once talked to Virat Kohli and he told me to take net sessions as seriously as matches. If you get out and play rash shots in nets, subsequently you will do the same in a match,” he added.
“His advice helped me and now I don’t get satisfied with my batting at nets. If my net session doesn’t go well, I am disturbed throughout the day,” Babar added.
Babar Azam has now joined the likes of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf to become the 4th Pakistani cricketer to claim the No.1 spot in ODI rankings. He has now set his eyes on becoming the No.1 ranked batsman in the longest format of the game.
