Abdul Razzaq asks Babar Azam to work on his fitness like Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli remains the gold standard for fitness among cricketers and former player Abdul Razzaq has asked Pakistan captain Babar Azam to work on his fitness.

There is no doubt that when it comes to cricket, former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is the torchbearer for fitness and professionalism. While he was a chubby kid who didn’t pay much attention to fitness or spending hours in the gym when he first burst on to the scene and made a name for himself, Kohli quickly turned his life and career around.

2014 onwards, he has been very mindful about his fitness, lifestyle, nutrition and diet and as a result, has become one of the leading voices in the country when it comes to health and well-being. Kohli also attributes his fitness as being a strong core behind the peak years of his career and it helps him bat better, stay focused for longer, and gain precious few extra seconds in the field.

Kohli’s fitness dedication and motivation is the envy of world cricket and he constantly receives praise from all quarters. This time, former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq lauded Kohli’s fitness levels and called it ‘world class.’

Moreover, he even urged Pakistan captain Babar Azam to work on that aspect and thinks that it might help him improve his game as well.

“The main thing is that his fitness is world-class. Babar Azam’s fitness is not like that of Virat Kohli. Babar needs to work more on his fitness,” Razzaq told the Times of India.

“Babar is Pakistan’s number one player. Babar is in fact the world number 1 batter (ODIs). Be it in any format of the game, Test, ODI, or T20I, he has been consistently performing well. Every country has one player like them (Virat and Babar),” he said.

Razzaq was also quick to acknowledge Kohli’s positive intent. He believes that the middle-order batter is someone who always tries to take the game deep and put pressure back on the bowlers.

“Virat is an outstanding and fantastic player. The best part is that he takes his team along. His intent is always positive. He utilises his skills very well.”

Given the frantic passion for cricket in the subcontinent as well as the geological, political, and sporting divide between India and Pakistan, it is common that the two players are compared almost regularly. However, Razzaq has dissuaded fans from comparing the two of them given that they are both ‘world class’ players and it doesn’t make sense.

“We don’t need to compare them. It’s like asking, who is better – Kapil Dev or Imran Khan? These comparisons are not good. Kohli is a world-class player, Babar is too. But Kohli’s fitness is way better than Babar’s,” he added.