New Delhi: Pakistan captain Babar Azam, regarded as one of the finest batters of current generation, has consistently performed well at the international level, drawing comparisons to former India captain Virat Kohli. Babar has become the first batsman to make it to the top-5 in the ICC rankings in all three formats (Test, ODI & T20 cricket). He is ranked fifth in Tests but tops both the white-ball formats.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star finisher Dinesh Karthik, who recently marked his return to the national team for T20 series against South Africa, believes Babar Azam has the potential to hold the No. 1 spot in the history of the game across all formats.
"One-hundred per cent (he is capable of achieving that). 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," Karthik said on The ICC Review.
"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 stated further.
Although Babar Azam still has a lot to achieve in international cricket. He has been playing internationally for the last seven years. Karthik feels Babar has the potential to be included in the 'Fab Four', which includes India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, to make it 'Fab Five'.
"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'. There is no doubt he is there or thereabouts ... he is a very special player," said Karthik.
"The two things that struck me when I watched him bat is his balance and his striking point when he plays a ball. 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," he added.