World Cup 2019: Babar Azam is aiming to achieve for Pakistan what Virat Kohli has for India

Playing the arch-rivals, that too in a World Cup, is not too easy a task for those who are doing it for the first time. The marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing ICC World Cup on Sunday will likewise, see quite a few players feeling the butterfly their stomachs. Irrespective of their talent and potential, these players will have a big learning experience during the match which will be nothing less than a pressure cooker.

Azam playing his first World Cup match against India in World Cup

One such player who will have one of the biggest tests of his career in the Old Trafford derby is Pakistan’s, Babar Azam. The 24-year-old is playing the first World Cup of his career and despite being considered as the best batsman of the Pakistan line-up with a batting average of almost 51, Azam will be a nervous starter. In three games that he has played, Azam has scored one fifty which was against England at Trent Bridge. The man is nevertheless in good form and in the four games he has played against India so far, he has scored a couple of the 40s, including in the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017.

Babar Azam “I watch Virat Kohli’s batting & the way he bats in various conditions & try to learn from him. I try to learn with experience & this is my process of learning. Kohli’s winning ratio is higher for India & I’m trying to achieve that for Pakistan also” #INDvPAK #CWC19

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 14, 2019

Azam though is trying to have quick last-minute learning from India captain Virat Kohli. Like the Indian, Azam also bats at No.3 for his team and serves as a major pillar to his side’s batting line-up. In the run-up to Sunday’s clash, Azam said he watches Kohli’s batting and the way he does it in various conditions.

“I try to learn with experience & this is my process of learning. Kohli’s winning ratio is higher for India & I’m trying to achieve that for Pakistan also,” Azam was quoted as saying.

Kohli will also be under pressure in the game for one, he is leading India against Pakistan for the first time in the World Cup. And secondly, with in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan out with an injury, the responsibility on Kohli will be even more to deliver. However, the 30-year-old has always been a big-match player for India and is the only Indian batsman to have scored a hundred against Pakistan in the World Cup (Adelaide, 2015).