Babar Azam Exposed By Ex-Pakistan Teammate: ‘Became King By Employing PR’ | Cricket News

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has reserved huge praise for star India batter Virat Kohli after the latter scored a century in their Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday. Kohli slammed an unbeaten 100, registering his 51st ODI hundred to put India one step closer to the semi-finals of the tournament. During a recent interaction, Hafeez highlighted how Kohli always brings out his best for pressure games, especially the matches against Pakistan. On the contrary, Hafeez slammed his former teammate Babar azam for failing to score once again.

“Virat is a high stage performer. He looks out for big occasions and performs. Whenever India plays against Pakistan, you get a chance to star in those matches. Shoaib Malik bowled well against India, where he became a star, Shahid Afridi became a star when he hit sixes against India,” Hafeez told PTV.

Hafeez says Kohli deserves to be called the ‘king’, labelling him as the greatest batter of all-time.

“Virat Kohli keeps waiting for those occasions. He waits to cash in on those opportunities. He keeps a positive mindset; he thinks that ‘I will win the match for India. I will not only play, but I will win the match for my country.’ And that’s why he is the greatest batter in the world,” he added.

Hafeez also called out the PR agencies who have often tried to club Babar in the same league as Kohli.

“In reality, if someone deserves to be called King, it is Virat Kohli, not Babar Azam. Look at his performance. He has performed all across the world, not become a king by employing PR. Call out those spokespersons, show them the mirror,” a fuming Hafeez said.

Kohli’s 111-ball masterclass featured the cover drive prominently, a shot that has in recent time led to his downfall but remains a signature weapon in his arsenal.

“It’s a ‘catch-22’. I mean, it’s (cover drive) kind of been my weakness as well over the years, but I’ve scored a lot of runs on that shot,” Kohli said in a video posted by BCCI.

“I think today was just about backing my shots and I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise, so I really had to just let it go a little bit and take a bit of risk and follow through with my shots.

“Because when I hit that kind of shots, then I feel in control when I bat out there. So, it was a good innings for me personally and it was a great team win,” he added.