In a tweet on July 15, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam backed out-of-form Virat Kohli to come out of his prolonged lean patch.
Virat Kohli's dismal form in recent times has been one of the hottest topics of discussion among cricket enthusiasts. It's been nearly three years since the iconic batter scored a century and is going through perhaps the leanest patch in his career. While November 22, 2019, was the last time Kohli struck the magical three figures, the former Indian skipper has in recent times struggled to even stay at the crease for long.
However, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam backed Kohli to come out of his prolonged lean patch. In a tweet posted on July 15, the 27-year-old wrote, "This too shall pass. Stay strong." The tweet, which featured a photo of the duo from T20 World Cup 2021, went viral instantly, with several users lauding the Pakistan batter for showing such incredible sportsmanship.
When asked to elaborate upon his tweet, Babar Azam stated in his press conference ahead of Pakistan's first Test against Sri Lanka, "I just feel that in the present situation, Kohli needs support and to be backed. I tweeted wishing him the best because I know how a player feels when he is going through this period, and he needs the support of everyone."
On Saturday, the former Indian skipper thanked the top-ranked ODI and T20I batter for his support. In a classy gesture, Kohli replied, "Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best."
Kohli has scored only 158 runs from seven ODI games this year, with only two fifties to his name. The 33-year-old remains in the third position in the ICC ODI rankings behind Pakistan's Babar Azam and Imam ul Haq.
In the ongoing tour to England, the iconic batter scored 11 and 20 in the fifth and rescheduled Test match before scoring 1 and 11 in the two T20Is he played on the tour. The former Indian captain missed the first ODI against England due to a groin strain and was dismissed for 16 of 25 balls in the second ODI.
Also read: IND vs ENG 2022: Virat Kohli does not need any reassurance, says Rohit Sharma
While all eyes now remain on Kohli when India takes on England in the three-match series decider at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday, the former Indian skipper's response to Babar Azam has sparked a meme fest on Twitter. Here's a look at some of the memes doing the rounds:
Call me old school but it is what it is https://t.co/xcC2SbXXKL pic.twitter.com/LHuY2VmxZv
— الکاظمی (@abdur_rehman26)All indian & Pakistani cricket fans & keyboard warriors right now :) https://t.co/LEcmAWgp2s pic.twitter.com/fu5W7TXcRv
— Ushna🦋🏏 (@a__monotheistic)Delhi players stocks dipping https://t.co/hZ4MQAmjD0 pic.twitter.com/sNDDc3GYJt
— GOATifi fan account (@jontyypenasar)Gobar Azam and Kohli pans right now https://t.co/gK7P4HhAHb pic.twitter.com/pGuNpJjdU4
— MI fan(India 2022 T20wc winners😘) (@MIfansBengaluru)wese number one se aur uper kese rise karega https://t.co/VstAXseTjx pic.twitter.com/OwoIDWEVVi
— abeera🍃 (@abeerayy__19)Bhakts after this reply 😂😂 https://t.co/Ep2mLYdSuH pic.twitter.com/p4Nkuxljxx
— Noyo (@noyo_77)Bunty be like https://t.co/FAqovtlSlH pic.twitter.com/szP335BdCX
— ° (@anubhav__tweets)Weekend entertainment is here - https://t.co/EQQZ0pMLZc pic.twitter.com/cmrvNbrOdb
— ` 𝐬 彡 ࣪ (@sruayy)Babar shining after Virat told him to do so... https://t.co/YnOKPsYUwJ pic.twitter.com/ERkhPyKHgR
— Red Slanty (@hahahyeday)HE REPLIEDDD https://t.co/el8OYjd3NC pic.twitter.com/UNd4TZy1DH
— Shahryar (@Shahryar009)Gurkirat paaji after reading this https://t.co/Jaonx3w645 pic.twitter.com/e1KB7Fybi6
— 🌧️Fr🅾️nt F🅾️🅾️t 🌧️🏏 (@frontfoot73)me after reading their interaction pic.twitter.com/PPUUtfiEcH https://t.co/turvW0s3ei
— a̶ (@fathomlessx)Finally 😭💗 https://t.co/og0J3CXxFw pic.twitter.com/zVeDaXqiXS
— Ramshay🇵🇰 (@6328rimsha)Babar and Virat's fans right now.. https://t.co/OOVvyh7lJC pic.twitter.com/NjQBEaBBot
— Azam Adnan 🇵🇰 (@azamadnan10)One 🐐 to another 🐐. https://t.co/dn0Snmmjp1 pic.twitter.com/cKVX28ZinE
— 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞́𝐬 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈 𝐓𝐡𝐞ᵍᵒᵃᵗ🐐 (@AnjumTahirAli)Same energy https://t.co/IVy0Tf2rym pic.twitter.com/Cki4Aomr08
— Gona Ganjayi Reddy (@PsychoIsMe)I can't handle this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 https://t.co/HkwAUgLytM pic.twitter.com/vEryjobWem
— . (@iarakhan)And here we go again! 🤗 https://t.co/TeNEEai6kg pic.twitter.com/SuOSJT8QKE
— Imran Ali Khan 🌐 (@theimranalikhan)