Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has posted a heartfelt message for India superstar Virat Kohli after the latter’s latest failure with the bat in international cricket.
Virat Kohli, on Thursday (July 14), failed with the bat once again as England defeated India by 100 runs in the second ODI at Lord’s. Asked to bat first, the hosts were all out for 246 runs.
At one stage, England were reeling at 102 for 5 and the 200-run mark was looking like a distant dream. However, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and David Willey came up with crucial knocks to guide their team to a respectable total.
Moeen top-scored for his team, scoring 47 while Willey and Livingstone scored 41 and 33 respectively. For India, Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 for 47.
In reply, India came up with a horrific batting display and were all out for a paltry 146 in 38.5 overs. India’s top four was back in the hut for just 31 runs as the likes of Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant flopped. Kohli played some impressive shots during his brief stay but could not make it count. He was eventually out for just 16 off 25 balls.
Babar Azam’s message for Virat Kohli:
Following his latest failure with the bat, Virat Kohli is once again facing the heat from the fans. As soon as Kohli was dismissed on Thursday, thousands of fans took to social media to slam the former India skipper.
While some urged the Indian team-management to drop Kohli, some went as far as saying that Kohli should hang his boots. Amidst all these, Babar Azam came out in support of Kohli.
The Pakistan star took to Twitter to throw his support behind Kohli by writing: “This too shall pass. Stay strong.”
This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/ozr7BFFgXt
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) July 14, 2022
Meanwhile, Kohli has been rested for India’s upcoming tour of West Indies. While he was expected to be a part of the T20I team, the selectors have rested him from the ODIs as well as the T20Is.