Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been a consistent force across formats in world cricket. After drawing comparisons with Virat Kohli since the early days, and it continues till date, Babar has become the only batter across the three formats to be ranked in the top-5 of the ICC charts. He is ranked fifth in Tests but leads in both the white-ball formats. And Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star has backed Babar to become the first player in the history of the sport to be ranked No.1 in all formats. (Follow IPL 2022 full coverage)
Speaking on the ICC Review on the possibility of the 27-year-old scripting history, Dinesh Karthik responded saying, "One-hundred per cent."
"He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up. He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too. I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country," he added.
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While Babar is still has a lot to achieve in international cricket, Karthik feels that he has the potential to join the elite Fab Four which comprises India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
{{/usCountry}}While Babar is still has a lot to achieve in international cricket, Karthik feels that he has the potential to join the elite Fab Four which comprises India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
{{/usCountry}}"It is a very strong ‘Fab Four’ that we are talking about and they have obviously been there for much longer, but there is no doubt that Babar has all the credentials and he is going to make it a 'Fab Five'," the 36-year-old India star noted.
"There is no doubt he is there or thereabouts ... he is a very special player."
The veteran cricketer further hailed the changes Babar has made to his batting techniques to adapt and stay at par with all modern-day batters.
"The two things that struck me when I watched him bat is his balance and his striking point when he plays a ball,” Karthik explained.
"Whether it is on the front foot or the back foot, his ability to strike the ball more often than not under his eyes, has been phenomenal.
"He strikes the ball at the point where it is optimum power for where the ball is pitched and that makes him a very special player."