PAK vs NEP: Watch- Babar Azam Emulates Virat Kohli's Iconic Six Off Haris Rauf In The Asia Cup 2023 Opener

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has set the stage on fire in the ongoing first game of the Asia Cup 2023 against Nepal in Multan. The right-hander played a magnificent innings and made sure that he started the tournament on high. 

Babar Azam batted with great responsibility after Pakistan lost early two wickets. The captain led from the front and batted from the 7th over all the way to the 50th over. The right-hander played some sensational shots but one among them caught the attention of many. 

Babar Azam emulated Virat Kohli’s iconic shot that he hit against Haris Rauf during the T20 World Cup 2022. The Pakistan captain slapped a delivery from Sompal Kami over the bowler’s head. The ball sailed easily over long-off for a maximum.

Here’s the video of Babar Azam’s six:

pic.twitter.com/PbEEEpaLTi

— The ? (@tournaments_sa) August 30, 2023

Brad Hogg: Virat Kohli's six against Haris Rauf is the best cricket shot I have ever seen in my life.

The Shot:pic.twitter.com/QP6ALDW662

— CricBeat (@Cric_beat) August 30, 2023

Babar Azam slammed his 8th fifty-plus score this year in 12 innings that he has played. He converted his half-century into a brilliant hundred and put his team in the driving seat. The Pakistan skipper hit his 19th ODI ton in 109 balls. 

Babar Azam ended his knock with 151 runs in 131 balls. He smashed 14 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. His staggering ton took Pakistan to a mammoth total of 342 runs. He also became the fastest batter to complete 19 ODI tons. 

PAK vs NEP: Babar Azam is a great player, World No. 1 – Iftikhar Ahmed 

Apart from Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed also slammed a staggering century. The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 109 runs and stitched 214 runs partnership with the captain, taking his team to a gigantic total. 

Iftikhar Ahmed talked about his innings and also lauded Babar Azam for his innings. He hailed the captain for rotating the strike well. Speaking during mid-innings break, he explained: 

“Century is an achievement for a player, obviously I am very happy. The ball was gripping when I went in, so you need to give time for yourself to get set. Babar is a great player, World No. 1 player. It’s an awesome feeling to bat with him. He rotates strike very well and we discussed about scoring a boundary when we get a loose ball. The wicket got better to bat on as the innings progressed,” he concluded.