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EXCLUSIVE | Don't Call Me KING, Babar Follows Kohli's Footstep

Shahid Hashmi
13 Feb 2025
14:35
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Pakistan's Babar Azam follows the footstep of his more illustrious Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli, demanding the fans not to call him "KING" as he doesn't consider himself a batter with a crown.

Babar Azam
Babar Azam

Last year, Kohli also demanded of the fans not to relate him as KING.

Firstly, you need to stop calling me that word (king). Please call me Virat. Don't call me that word (king). I was just telling Faf du Plessis that I feel embarrassed every year when you call me that word. So just call me Virat, please, from now on; don't use that word. It's very embarrassing for me.

Virat had said during an event in Bengaluru.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan was asked about who will open the innings ahead of the tri-series game against New Zealand to which he replied: "King kar lay ga (King will do it).

My request to fellow players, media and fans is that please don't call me KING. I don't consider myself KING. KING is up there," referring to the Almighty. I am not a king yet. We will see when I leave. Opening is a new role of opener for me, and I have taken on this responsibility as per the team’s requirements.

But to a question from Telecom Asia Sport (telecomasia.net) about how he feels on being called KING by the skipper, Babar played it down with a dead bat.

Babar has been in poor form which led to his axing from the Test team against England last year. He has been drafted as opener in the ODI team ahead of the Champions trophy starting in Pakistan and the UAE next week.

Pakistan beat South Africa by six wickets by chasing their highest target of 353 with hundreds from skipper Rizwan and Salman Agha. They will now play New Zealand in the final in Karachi on Friday.

My primary focus while batting is to score big. Unfortunately, I am not able to finish the innings, but Rizwan and Salman played well today. Performances like these boost team confidence. Once the innings builds, I get a better idea of the game and pitch. I always try to perform well, but I haven't been able to play long innings after settling in..

Regarding his batting, Babar said he is coming into groove.

What I have done before is in the past. If I dwell on past performances, I won’t be able to perform in the future. Every new day comes with a new plan and mindset. When we successfully chase big totals, it boosts our confidence.

Babar added

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