Pakistan captain Babar Azam has come into his own in the last couple of years and is currently the No.1 ranked batter in both white-ball formats. When one talks about the longest format, Babar is in fifth spot and would look to keep piling the runs to make the pole position his very own. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has said that Babar has it in him to be the No.1-ranked player in all three formats of the game.
“One-hundred per cent (he is capable of achieving that). He 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,” Karthik said on The ICC Review.
“I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country,” he stated further.
In his career so far, Babar has played 40 Tests, scoring 2,851 runs at an average of 45.98. He has six centuries to his name in the longest format and 21 half-centuries.
Karthik also said that Babar Azam can be put alongside Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson and the “Fab Four” can soon be called “Fab Five”.
“It is a very strong ‘Fab Four’ that we are talking about and they have obviously been there for much longer, but there is no doubt that Babar has all the credentials and he is going to make it a ‘Fab Five’. There is no doubt he is there or thereabouts … he is a very special player,” said Karthik.
“The two things that struck me when I watched him bat is his balance and his striking point when he plays a ball. Whether it is on the front foot or the back foot, his ability to strike the ball more often than not under his eyes, has been phenomenal. He strikes the ball at the point where it is optimum power for where the ball is pitched and that makes him a very special player,” he added.
Promoted
Lastly, the India wicketkeeper also said that Babar will keep getting better and will get equipped in playing in different conditions.
“When you play international cricket you have got to keep changing a little bit here and there to keep improving your technique. Sometimes just by one per cent a lot of the time so that so you can go on and achieve success in that particular tour you are on, so I think he has definitely tweaked his technique a bit here and there over a period of time,” said Karthik.
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