Indian batsman Virat Kohli, whose poor form continues in the 2nd match of the ODI series against England, is facing criticism from not only the fans but also from veterans like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar and many former players. Meanwhile, Pakistani captain Babar Azam has has a special message for Virat Kohli. Pak batsman Babar is often compared to former Indian captain Kohli and Babar himself also likes Kohli’s batting style.
On Thursday, Azam took to his official Twitter account and posted a picture of himself with the Indian batter to show support with an encouraging caption. The 27-year old posted on Twitter: “This too shall pass. Stay Strong.”
This tweet of Babar Azam came after the defeat of the visiting team in the second ODI between India and England played at Lord’s Stadium.
After winning the toss in Lord’s ODI, Indian captain Rohit Sharma decided to bowl first. After which, thanks to the brilliant performances of Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya, India managed to restrict the hosts for 246 runs.
Also read: ENG vs IND 2nd ODI highlights: India suffer 100-run defeat against England in at Lord’s
However, chasing the easy target of 247 runs, Team India was bundled out for 146 runs. For England, Reece Topley took 6 wickets for 24 runs in 9.5 overs.
During the chase, none of India’s batsmen could play a big innings, but Kohli, who scored 16 runs for 25, remained the target of critics. Kohli’s batting has been falling continuously since 2019.
In 2020, Kohli scored 842 runs in 22 matches of all three formats at an average of 36.60. In 2021, he scored 964 runs in 24 matches at an average of 37.07. Whereas in 2022 his batting average dropped to 25.50. This year Kohli has scored only 459 runs in 15 matches played so far.