A day after Babar Azam tweeted out his support towards an out-of-form Virat Kohli, the India batter responded with a message thanking him, extending the growing camaraderie between the two stars of the sport.

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Kohli has been under significant pressure following an extended patch of low scores – he’s yet to hit an international century since November 2019, and averages below 30 in all three formats this year. The lean patch has tempted some experts to suggest that his place in the side isn’t certain anymore.

After his dismissal for a 25-ball 16 in the second ODI against England, Kohli found support in Babar, currently the No.1 ranked men’s T20I player, who tweeted: “This shall too pass, stay strong”.

The gesture from Babar earned praise from several quarters, with Michael Vaughan, among others, calling the Pakistan skipper a “class act”. Babar further explained his tweet during a press conference, stating: “As a player, you can go through times like these. In such times, you need support. He’s one of the best players there is, and he knows how to get out of this. It might take a bit of time, and the more we back him, the better.”

On Saturday, Kohli replied to the Babar tweet with: “Thank you. Keep rising and shining. Wish you all the best”.

It wasn’t long after Kohli had tweeted out a picture of himself captioned “Perspective”, crouching next to a mural of a pair of wings along with the phrases “What if I fall”, and “Oh but my darling, what if you fly”.

After the third ODI against England, Kohli’s set to enjoy a break, having been rested from India’s T20I and ODI series against West Indies starting later this month.

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