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Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. (Credit: AFP)
AB de Villiers heaped praises on the batting superstars and said when Virat Kohli and Babar Azam get going they score big hundreds.
Legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers has named his favourites for the highest run-getter in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. De Villiers named not one but two players – Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as according to him the duo will set the tournament on fire with their batting. The Pakistan captain has already started the tournament on a high note with a sensational 151-run knock against Nepal in the opening clash. While Kohli will begin the campaign against Pakistan on September 2.
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The Proteas batting great heaped praises on the batting superstars and said when Kohli and Babar get going they score big hundreds.
“My favorites for Asia Cup definitely Virat and Babar. I haven’t seen a lot of the Sri Lankans or other players in incredible form. That’s where Virat and Babar are different. When they score runs, they score 130s-150s. They really knuckle down. I think we would see their names up there and I would be pleasantly surprised to see someone else up there,” said De Villiers on his YouTube channel.
Kohli has a great batting record against Pakistan as he registered his highest ODI score versus them in the 2012 Asia Cup – 183. Meanwhile, he also set the stage on fire in the 2022 T20 World Cup group stage clash with his unbeaten 82-run knock to snatch defeat from Pakistan.
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De Villiers further talked about premier Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi and suggested that he has not been in the same rhythm in recent times and looked a bit undercooked.
“Not quite the same rhythm we have seen from Shaheen Afridi in the past. I don’t know if he’s a little bit undercooked or if there’s a tiny little injury. May be he is just saving his energy for when it matters most. He may be trying to find a little bit of rhythm knowing there are much bigger games coming up. He’s a huge player for Pakistan,” De Villiers added.
Shaheen has performed well against India in the past contests and he will be key for his team in the mega Asia Cup clash on September 2.
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