How the tables turned for Virat Kohli and Babar Azam after 'This too shall pass' tweet

Former India captain Virat Kohli was going through a lean patch in his career but has made a stunning return to form in the recent past. Kohli had not scored a century for nearly three years before he finally got one in the Asia Cup 2022. However, when Kohli was witnessing tough times, several former and current cricketers came out in support of the modern-day great. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was amongst those who backed Kohli to return to form. 

Babar, who is often compared to Kohli, sent him a message on Twitter, writing “This too shall pass, stay strong.” The post garnered a lot of attention on social media with people lauding the Pakistan batter for his support for Kohli. However, ever since he shared the post, Babar has witnessed a slump in his performance as he has been consistently failing to score big runs for his country. 

Here's how the tables have turned for Kohli and Babar

Kohli has played a total of 15 innings since Babar shared the post on July 15 this year. The 33-year-old has scored 641 runs at an average of 71.22 and with a staggering strike rate of 139.65. Kohli also has a century to his name during the said period. He has scored three half-centuries in the ongoing T20 World Cup and is currently the highest run-scorer of the tournament. He was also the leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2022. Kohli has firmly put behind all the doubts regarding his form with devastating form in the past few months. 

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Babar, on the other hand, has failed to score consistent runs for his side since the tweet. In total, Babar has played 22 innings since sharing the tweet and has scored 559 runs, including a century and three half-centuries. Babar has played four matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup and has scored just 14 runs. Babar only averages 3.50 in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He has also faced a lot of criticism for his leadership decisions during the past 2-3 months. Babar has not been able to manage even one score in the double digits so far in Australia. He also had a pretty average run with the bat in the Asia Cup 2022. 

Babar Azam slammed for poor performances

After registering scores of 0, 4 and 4 in his first three games, the 28-year-old only managed to score six runs from 15 deliveries against South Africa, in what is a must-win game for Pakistan if they are to progress to the semi-finals of the competition. Following another 'masterclass' performance, Babar was heavily trolled on social media as they recalled his tweet to Virat Kohli.

Image: Twitter/KKR