Champions Trophy: Kohli's friendly pat of Babar makes pic of the day

Dubai: The Dubai International Stadium witnessed a heartwarming gesture by none other than Indian batter and ‘run machine’ Virat Kohli towards his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam at the ICC Champions Trophy match on Sunday between archrivals India and Pakistan. The gesture, a part of the friendly exchange they had shared at matches before, was made before the match started, as Pakistan took a strike while India took the field.

The two batting stars were seen exchanging pleasantries and spoke with each other when Babar walked out to the middle along with fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq.

Netizens were quick to notice the friendly, light-hearted moment as photos and videos of the brief meet quickly went viral on social media. One user wrote, "Friendship", while another said, "That’s why we love Kohli".

Kohli and Babar are two of the biggest batters in world cricket at the moment, but the latter is currently undergoing a lean patch.

During India's tour of England in 2022, when Kohli was struggling with his form, Babar took to social media to share a picture of them during a match along with the message, “This too shall pass". Virat was quick to respond to Babar's support on X and wrote, "Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best," he wrote.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first. India's frontline pacers Shami and Harshit Rana remained wicketless in their opening spells before Hardik Pandya provided the first breakthrough with a pricey dismissal of Babar Azam in the ninth over. Babar departed after scoring 23 runs off 23 with the help of five fours. Later, a direct hit from Axar Patel sent Imam-ul-Haq back to the pavilion for 10 off 26.

It is a must-win encounter for Pakistan to keep their semi-final hopes alive from Group A after losing to New Zealand by 60 runs in the tournament opener in Karachi. On the other hand, India started their campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh.