"When it comes to being selfless, there is no one like Virat Kohli" - Danish Kaneria explains what Babar Azam can learn from the former India captain
Former cricketer Danish Kaneria has hailed Virat Kohli as a selfless cricketer while criticizing Pakistan captain Babar Azam. The leg-spinner highlighted how the former India captain has completely supported skipper Rohit Sharma despite his unceremonious removal as captain.
Kaneria pointed out how Kohli had to bear the brunt of India's group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup last year. The former cricketer also spoke about how several fans and critics wanted India to drop the star batter from the side during his lean patch.
While praising Kohli, the former leggie criticized his own former team's captain Babar for not being flexible about his position in the team.
The 41-year-old opined that even after going through a torrid time, Kohli did everything that his captain, Rohit, asked him to do. He made these remarks while speaking on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, November 15.
"When it comes to being selfless, there is no one like Virat Kohli. The team lost the World Cup under his captaincy, and he was made the scapegoat after that. Many raised questions about his place in the team. But he didn't give up. He gave his full support to the new captain and played at the number he asked him to."
Kohli roared back to form with a sensational century against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup 2022 earlier this year. He hasn't looked back since, emerging as the top performer with the bat for the side in their recent assignments.
The seasoned campaigner showcased tremendous form at the T20 World Cup in Australia. With 296 runs from six outings, he finished as the leading run-getter in the competition.
"Babar Azam has been stubborn" - Danish Kaneria on Pakistan skipper not willing to change his batting position
While Kaneria praised Kohli for his attitude, he slammed Pakistan captain Babar Azam for being "stubborn." He claimed that the right-handed batter does not want to give up his opening spot at any cost as he knows that he cannot be successful in the middle order.
He emphasized how Babar's unwillingness to come down the order has hurt Pakistan's chances in T20 cricket.
"Babar Azam has been stubborn about not giving up his opening spot. The same happened when he was with Karachi Kings too. He is adamant about this because he cannot bat in the middle order. His stubbornness is only doing harm to Pakistani cricket because of the slow starts."
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Babar Azam was criticised by many for his underwhelming performances with the bat at the ICC event. Barring his half-century against New Zealand in the semi-finals, it proved to be a rather dismal campaign for the talented batter, mustering 124 runs in seven games at a strike rate of 93.23.