Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, Haider Ali
Babar Azam. Photo Credit: CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/AFP/Getty Images)

Young Pakistani batsman Haider Ali in a recent interview stated that he would like to brush his batting skills so that one day people can rightfully compare him to Babar Azam. Ali, who is still in his teens, set the stage alight in the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL) season when he racked up 239 runs for Peshawar Zalmi in nine matches, with a sensational strike rate of 158.27.

The 19-year-old said he’d like to draw parallels with Babar, Pakistan’s T20I skipper, instead of Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Ali, who also starred for the Pakistan U19 side at the U19 World Cup 2020 in South Africa, wishes to model himself like Babar who led the run-scoring charts at the PSL this term, with 345 runs to his name. Although Ali did add later, that he can learn from a lot of Kohli as well.

Haider Ali, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, PSL, Pakistan
Haider Ali (Credits – Twitter)

Want people to call me Babar Azam and not Virat Kohli: Haider Ali

“A batsman can never become like his role models, but can improve himself and develop shots like they play. I want to improve myself to the extent that people call me Babar Azam and not Kohli because Babar has good shots,” Haider said in a video on YouTube as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

The young right-handed batting sensation did concede later that there is still a lot to learn for him and Ali also added that he can learn from some of Kohli’s exquisite shots too.

“I cannot become Kohli but can develop shots like him through practice. I’m Haider Ali so I can only become Haider Ali,” he said.

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 Haider Ali opens up on meeting Babar Azam for the first time:

Haider Ali, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, PSL, Pakistan
Haider Ali (Source: Twitter)

Having grown up to idolize one of the best batsmen of Pakistan’s current generation, Ali was full of praises towards Babar for guiding him earlier, at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, and in the PSL as well.

“I met Babar Azam during the first-class tournament and he gave me tips regarding my batting. We also get to learn a lot from him in the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. He also supported me during PSL by boosting my confidence and advising me to keep scoring runs and leave the rest to Allah Almighty,” Haider added.

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