Dinesh Karthik has named Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as the player who can become the number one batter across all three formats of the game. The batting maestro is currently the number one player in T20I and ODI formats with 818 rating points and 891 points respectively. Talking about his Test ranking, he is currently placed fifth with 815 points. Players ahead of him are Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.
Meanwhile, in a conversation with the World Cricket Governing Council, Karthik said that Azam has the capability to become the number one Test batter as well. The right-hander added that it will be interesting to see if Azam can climb up in the Test rankings. He further added that the Pakistan skipper has been phenomenal in all forms of the game.
The Tamil Nadu player pointed out that Babar plays the ball under his eyes more often, which is why the latter is successful in the international arena. The Lahore-born player’s last series against Australia was fruitful for him. In the Test series, he scored his first hundred after February 2020. In ODIs, the right-hander scored two centuries in three games.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be against the West Indies at home, when they play three ODIs. The 27-year-old has a great record against the Maroon Brigade as he averages 89.33 in seven ODIs. He has scored 536 runs including four centuries striking at 93.87. Also, the team would be looking to put up a dominant performance against the visitors as the 50-over format hasn’t been their strongest suit over the year.
Not to forget, the Green Army would want to climb up in the points table of the World Super League, a 2023 World Cup qualification tournament. The team would need to be in the top seven so that they wouldn’t have to play the qualifying tournament that determines the last two teams of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Bangladesh is currently topping the Super League table with 18 points to their name.
