'It is something I am preparing for' - Babar Azam reacts to Dinesh Karthik's recent comment on him

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has opened up about the comments he received from Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik. To note, the Indian batter a few days back had appreciated his batting excellence and also predicted him to be included in the elite list of batters.

Talking about Babar’s numbers in International cricket, the right-handed batter has so far played 40 Tests, 86 ODIs, and 74 T20Is for Pakistan, amassing around 9800 runs across formats at the highest level. The 27-year-old also has an excellent average of 59.18 in the 50-over format. Similarly, he plays at an average of 45.98 and 45.52 in Tests and T20Is respectively. The Pakistani skipper is also ranked number one in both the T20Is and ODI rankings of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Definitely, it is a dream to be number one in all formats: Babar Azam

Speaking in a press conference, Babar reacted to Karthik’s remark and highlighted the factors that are needed to become the number one player.

“Definitely, as a player it’s a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It’s not like if you are the top player in 1 or 2 formats, you go easy. If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It’s something I am preparing for. It’s going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too,” Babar said during a press conference.

Earlier Karthik had said, “Babar is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up. He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too.”