“Thank you. Keep shining and rising” - Virat Kohli responds to Babar Azam’s tweet 

Virat Kohli has responded to Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s tweet in which the latter lent support to the struggling Team India batter. Kohli thanked Azam and also wished him the very best.

Following Kohli’s dismissal for 16 in the second ODI against England at Lord’s on Thursday (July 14), Azam took to his official Twitter handle and shared words of encouragement for the former Indian captain.

Posting an image of himself with the star Indian batter, he wrote:

“This too shall pass. Stay strong #ViratKohli.”

Responding to the viral Tweet, which garnered Azam a lot of praise, Kohli commented:

“Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best 👏.”

Earlier in the day, the 33-year-old shared a philosophical tweet amid rising pressure on him over his poor run in international cricket. He posed in front of an artwork with two wings and a message which read:

“What if I fall... Oh but my darling, what if you fly."

The under-fire cricketer shared the cryptic post with a single-word caption:

“Perspective”.

Kohli has had an extremely poor run in England during the ongoing tour. He has registered scores of 11, 20, one, 11 and 16 across the three formats so far.

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“I know what a player goes through in such a phase” - Babar Azam opens up on Kohli tweet

At a press conference ahead of Pakistan’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Azam was asked about his praiseworthy gesture of tweeting in support of Kohli.

Sharing his thoughts, he explained:

"As a player myself, I know you can go through such a phase and I also know what a player goes through in such a phase. In those times, you need support. I just tweeted thinking that it will give just some support. He is one of the best players."

Azam also backed the Indian batter to overcome the wretched form he has been encountering over the past couple of seasons. He commented:

"He is playing a lot of cricket and he knows how to come out of these situations. It takes time, if you back players, it will be really good.”

Kohli is likely to feature in the third ODI of the series against England, which will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday (July 17).

The batter has been rested for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, which will feature three ODIs and five T20Is.

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