IND vs PAK: Babar Azam Creates History As He Breaks Virat Kohli's Record

Babar Azam, on Wednesday (August 30), led his team from the very front as Pakistan thrashed minnows Nepal by 238 runs in Multan to launch their Asia Cup 2023 campaign in style.

Batting first, Pakistan made a terrible start with the bat and lost both of their openers – Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq cheaply. Both the openers departed inside 7 overs to leave Pakistan reeling at 25 for 2. Mohammad Rizwan (44) got the start but failed to convert it into a big score while Agha Salman (5) failed to get going.

Babar Azam, however, stood firm at one end and finally found a good partner in Iftikhar Ahmed. Both the batsmen went on to score centuries to power their team to a mammoth total of 342/6. Babar Azam played a monumental knock of 151 runs off 131 balls with the help of 14 fours and 4 sixes and departed in the very final over.

Iftikhar Ahmed, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on 109 runs off just 71 balls with the help of 11 fours and 4 sixes. In reply to Pakistan’s mammoth total, tournament debutants Nepal failed to provide any challenge whatsoever. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for a modest 104. Shadab Khan picked 4 wickets for Pakistan while Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf picked two wickets each.

Babar Azam creates history:

Babar Azam created a major milestone thanks to his stunning 151-run knock. The Pakistan star became the first captain in the history of the Asia Cup to reach the 150-run mark in an innings. He now holds the record for the highest score by a captain in the continental championship.

The record was previously held by Virat Kohli for his 136-run knock against Bangladesh in 2014. He became just the second batsman after Kohli to hit a 150-plus score in the Asia Cup. Kohli holds the record for the highest individual score in the Asia Cup for his iconic 183-run knock against Pakistan in 2012.

Babar Azam and his teammates will be looking to extend their impressive start in the Asia Cup when they take on arch-rivals India in their second group game. The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday (September 2) in Pallekele.