IND vs PAK: Babar Azam And Virat Kohli Respect Each Other A Lot, No Matter What Is Said On Social Media - Irfan Pathan

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan stated that Virat Kohli and Babar Azam’s performances will be crucial for their respective nations in the match between the two teams. Irfan Pathan emphasized that the bowlers will potentially influence the outcome of the highly anticipated game.

The Rohit Sharma-led team is scheduled to play against the Babar Azam-led team at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, September 2. The win in the match will help the teams boost their chances of advancing to the Super Four stages of the tournament.

They Will Naturally Be Crucial To Their Respective Team – Irfan Pathan

Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the India vs Pakistan encounter, Irfan Pathan highlighted that Babar Azam and Virat Kohli mutually respect each other off the field.

“They (Babar and Virat) respect each other a lot, no matter what is said on social media. They will naturally be crucial to their respective team’s chances and whoever bowls better to them will be the game-breaker,” Pathan told Star Sports.

India beat Pakistan by nine wickets in the Super Four to earn their place in the final of the 2018 Asia Cup, which was played in an ODI format. They went on to beat Bangladesh in the final match by three wickets to clinch the title at the Dubai International Stadium.

It Does Affect The Players When They Are Criticized – Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir believes that social media plays a significant role in building anticipation for India-Pakistan cricket matches due to their infrequent encounters. He mentioned that criticism on social media can affect players, even though they may not be overly concerned about it.

“I think the hype around these clashes increase a lot because both teams don’t play enough cricket regularly and that makes it a rare occurrence. In this social media age and impact, it does affect the players when they are criticized. So although they aren’t really bothered about social media, it does create a bit of hype,” Gambhir said.

The Indian National Cricket Team will face the Nepal National Cricket Team in their next match at the same venue on Monday, September 4. They will be aiming to secure their Super Four stage berth with a win in their group stage matches in the ongoing tournament.

Also read: IND vs PAK: Watch – Virat Kohli Left Stunned After Shaheen Afridi Castles His Stumps For Just 4 Runs In High-Octane Clash