Kohli replied to Babar’s message of support on July 16.
Veteran India batter Virat Kohli on Saturday (July 16) responded to Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s tweet supporting him.
On Thursday (July 14), Babar extended his support to Kohli, who is enduring a lean patch with the bat across three formats for quite a while.
After Virat was dismissed for 16 in the second ODI against England at Lord’s, Babar tweeted: “This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli”.
Two days later, Kohli replied to Babar’s message, stating: “Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best” and added a clapping hand emoji in the end.
The exchange between the two modern greats took the internet by storm. Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also lauded the batters for their heartfelt gestures.
“So good to see this .. from one Champion to Another. well done,” tweeted Harbhajan along with a screenshot of the conversation.
On the eve of Pakistan’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Babar Azam was also asked about his tweet on Kohli and he replied: "As a player myself, I know you can go through such a phase (out of form) and I also know what a player goes through in such a phase. In those times, you need support. I just tweeted thinking that it will give just some support. He is one of the best players."
"He is playing a lot of cricket and he knows how to come out of these situations. It takes time, if you back players, it will be really good," the Pakistan captain further said during a press conference.
Virat Kohli has been struggling to score big runs for the past three seasons, having last scored an international ton in November 2019. He is enduring a tough time in the ongoing England tour as well.
Virat could manage only 11 and 20 in rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston and aggregated only 12 runs in his two innings in T20Is. While the right-hander didn’t feature in the first ODI due to a groin injury, he made only 16 runs on his comeback in the second ODI.
Kohli will be next seen in action during the third ODI against England at Old Trafford on July 17.