Virat Kohli responds to Babar Azam's touching tweet supporting him

Vikat Kohli responded to the Pakistan skipper's heartfelt gesture two days later (Image: @babarazam258)

Two days after the Pakistani captain tweeted out in favour of Virat Kohli, who has been out of form and is having trouble scoring runs in both the long and short formats of the game, the Indian batsman responded and thanked Babar Azam for his kind gesture.

Babar tweeted a sweet message in support of Kohli on Thursday, July 14, after the Indian captain was dismissed for just 16 runs in the second ODI against England at Lord's. This came amid growing criticism of Kohli's performance.

The Pakistan captain wrote on Twitter, "This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohli"

This too shall pass. Stay strong. #ViratKohlipic.twitter.com/ozr7BFFgXt

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) July 14, 2022

Kohli replying to the tweet, thanked Babar for his kind words, writing, "Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best."

Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 16, 2022

Just before Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test series began in Galle, Babar had given an explanation for the reason behind his post.

"As a player myself, I know you can go through such a phase (out of form) and I also know what a player goes through in such a phase. In those times, you need support. I just tweeted thinking that it will give just some support. He is one of the best players," Babar said during a press conference.

"He is playing a lot of cricket and he knows how to come out of these situations. It takes time, if you back players, it will be really good," added Babar.

In the Edgbaston Test, Kohli only scored 31 runs, and in the T20I series, he scored 12 runs in two games.

For India's upcoming tour of the West Indies, which will include the ODI and T20I series, the former Indian captain has been rested. Officially, the BCCI has not given any explanation for his exclusion.

Rohit Sharma, the veteran's captain, also offered support for the batter, saying that Kohli only needs a few more innings to return to his peak form.

Kohli has now gone 77 consecutive international innings without a century. His last hundred came in 2019.