Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Babar Azam has opened up on his relationship with India National Cricket Team batting great Virat Kohli. He said that the Indian batting maestro has helped him a lot and he has learnt a lot from him.

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli will be up against each other when India take on Pakistan in the Match No.3 of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, September 2.

Speaking ahead of the match, Babar Azam spoke about his relationship with Kohli and said that there is a mutual respect between them.

“The debate that has been going on should be left to them. I don’t want to comment on it. Everybody has their point of view. There should be mutual respect. I have been taught that we should respect our seniors. I have learned a lot from him. I have said in a lot of interviews that in 2019 I talked to him and he helped me a lot. He has been helpful,” Babar said in the pre-match conference on Friday.

We cannot say that the Asia Cup is a small tournament – Babar Azam

Babar Azam further said that they can’t take any teams lightly as the Asia Cup is not a small tournament and all the teams are very competitive.

“We cannot say that the Asia Cup is a small tournament and the best teams of Asia as well as the best players are also playing. At no point in time, you can take it easy. Preparation is definitely for the World Cup but our current focus is on the Asia Cup,” Babar added.

He added that they are not thinking about relaxing anytime soon as after the Asia Cup, the World Cup will be played.

“We are not relaxing at any point. We are trying to go either way best. We are trying to focus on the cricket that lies ahead of us. We are trying different combinations and we are trying to give our balanced side the most number of opportunities before the big event,” Babar signed off saying.

Pakistan have announced their playing XI for the clash against India a day before the match and they have made no changes to their lineup for the blockbuster match.