Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won a lot of hearts after he tweeted his support for Virat Kohli, who has been under-fire for his extended lean patch with the bat across three formats.
Babar’s tweet came after Kohli was dismissed for just 16 in the second ODI against England at Lord’s on Thursday (July 14).
“This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli”, the Pakistan captain wrote on the micro-blogging site.
For his heartfelt post, Babar Azam was lauded by the fans and former cricketers, including Michael Vaughan and Irfan Pathan.
Now, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has praised Babar’s gesture, calling it an ‘incredible message’. He further added that a response from Kohli would have been great.
“Be it cricket or any other sport, it improves relations (between countries). Athletes can do a much better job at it than politicians and a number of them are doing the same," Afridi told SAMAA TV.
“Babar has given across an incredible message. I don’t know if there has been a response from the other side. I think Virat should have responded by now. It would be a very big thing if there is a response to Babar’s tweet, but I don’t think that is going to happen," he added.
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 said: "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," he further stated during a press conference.
