Virat Kohli has described Babar Azam as “probably the top batsman in world cricket across formats”, praising him for staying grounded despite his overwhelming success of late.

The camaraderie between Kohli and Babar has been the subject of social media chatter ever since the Pakistan captain put out a tweet in July, extending his solidarity towards the out-of-form Kohli. Babar was widely hailed for his gesture of support, with Kohli himself replying to the tweet a day later.

In the lead-up to the 2022 Asia Cup, the India-Pakistan fixture has also gained considerable traction, with a picture of Kohli and Babar greeting each other on the sidelines of a practice session wowing fans around the world.

Speaking to Star Sports in an interview, Kohli spoke about his relationship with Babar – six years his junior – praising him for maintaining the same respect and regard towards him over the years.

“The first interaction I had with him was the 2019 World Cup, after the [India-Pakistan] game in Manchester,” Kohli said. “He and Imad [Wasim] – Imad I have known since U19 cricket, because we played against each other – so Imad said Babar wanted to have a chat. We sat down, we spoke about the game. I saw a lot of regard and respect from him from day one, and that hasn’t changed, regardless of the fact that he is probably the top batsman in the world right now across formats, performing so consistently. And rightly so.”

Babar is currently ranked third in the ICC Test rankings for batters, and first in the ODI and T20I men’s batting rankings.

Praising Babar for staying true to himself despite considerable success coming his way, Kohli said that it is a sign of someone “who is very grounded”, and that players like him are needed to “keep world cricket exciting”.

“He has amazing talent and I have always enjoyed watching him play,” Kohli said. “So that hasn’t changed, it hasn’t changed because he is performing now and coming into his own – I don’t see his attitude and approach changing towards me. Which is a very good sign of someone who is very grounded in his foundations of his upbringing, and his cricketing foundations as well are very solid.

“These kind of players, these kind of characters, they go a long way and they inspire a lot of people and I see that happening with him as well. I congratulated him yesterday for how he has been playing and told him how amazing to watch it is. I wish him all the best and he deserves all of it. Eventually, you need to have players like him to keep world cricket exciting and that is the reality of the situation.”