Babar Azam has reached the number one spot in the ODI batting rankings.
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam has left India skipper Virat Kohli behind to become the number 1 ODI batsman. Kohli may have competition with Babar on the field, but he does help him out with batting inputs whenever needed.
Babar revealed he had asked for a batting tip from Kohli which worked well for him. The 26-year-old recalled how he used to take batting in the nets lightly but a chat with India's batting great changed everything.
“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 said.
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Kohli advised Babar to bat carefully in the nets as it does make an impact in a match. The Pakistan batsman said he gave up the casual approach in his practice sessions, as per the advice, and it helped him.
“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 said.
“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.
Recently, Babar also went on to score his maiden T20I ton against South Africa. He scored 122 runs in the third T20I in Centurion which is the highest individual score for Pakistan in T20Is, overtaking 111* by Ahmad Shahzad against Bangladesh in the 2014 T20 World Cup.