“I watch his [Kohli’s] batting and the way he bats in various conditions, and try to learn from them,” Babar told reporters on the eve of the game. “I try to learn with experience. This is my process of learning, so I try my 100 per cent.”

The 24-year-old Babar has been in a rich run of form over the last few years, across formats for Pakistan. Since June 2016, he has stacked up 2479 ODI runs, the fifth-highest for any batsman. In the same period, Babar has been the leading scorer in T20 internationals, and is the only batsman, along with Rohit Sharma, to have scored over 1000 runs in the format over the last three years.

“The [2017] Champions Trophy win gave us confidence and will also help here as well because the team is mostly the same and that win is always an inspiration,” he said. “That win can never go off our memories and it’s a big inspiration.

“We are well-prepared for this match because India and Pakistan matches are exciting and demanding, and the whole world watches it.”