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Pakistan captain Babar Azam has backed his batting rival Virat Kohli to bounce back from his patchy form with the bat. Azam took to his official Twitter account and posted a picture of himself with the Indian batter to show support with an encouraging caption.
Kohli has undergone a lean run with the bat in the past two and a half years across international and domestic cricket. The 33-year-old, who once scored centuries for fun, hasn't managed one since November 2019, when he reached three figures against Bangladesh.
Azam, who has scored three ODI tons this year, came forward in the Indian batter's support. The 27-year old posted on Twitter:
"This too shall pass. Stay strong''.
The two star cricketers are the backbones of their respective teams and have come to be constantly compared with one another. However, Azam claimed in an interview that he feels proud to be compared to his Indian counterpart.
Virat Kohli departs for 16 as India lose the second ODI against England at Lord's
Kohli, who hasn't fired in India's ongoing tour of England, perished for another low score in the second ODI in London on Thursday, July 14. The right-handed batter churned three glorious boundaries in his 25-ball 16 before nicking to Jos Buttler behind the stumps off David Willey's bowling. Eventually, the tourists lost by 100 runs, chasing a modest 247.
India delivered another disciplined performance after their ten-wicket win in the first ODI when they skittled England to 110. The hosts fared much better despite the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes not making a big score.
A partnership of 62 between Moeen Ali and David Willey was crucial as it lifted England to a competitive score. Left-arm seamer Reece Topley removed both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, with the former going for a duck. He eventually earned the 'Man of the Match' award for his figures of 9.5-2-24-6. The deciding third ODI will take place on July 17 in Manchester.
