The rivalry between India and Pakistan in cricket has been legendary, and the stakes are very high whenever these two Asian giants clash. Despite the social media fan war and the tense atmosphere among the fans in both nations, players from Pakistan and India have a great sense of mutual respect. Indian batting sensation Shubhman Gill has revealed that Pakistans skipper Baber Azam is a world-class batter and he follows his batting style and admires him.Speaking with the reporters on the eve of the India vs Pakistan super four match in Colombo, Gill described the current No. 1 ranked batter as world-class and said, “Yes, definitely we follow him. When a player is doing well. Everyone watches him to find out why they are doing so well and what their specialty is. The same thing goes for Babar. He is a world-class player and we all do admire him”.It was evident both before and after their group stage match that the players could be seen having healthy conversations at Pallekele last week. Earlier, Virat Kohli was seen involving Pakisani pacer Haris Rauf and all-rounder Shadab Khan in a lengthy conversation. However, it doesnt mean there will be any shortage of intensity on the ground in Tomarrows encounter.Quality of Pakistans bowling attackIn the pre-match press conference, Gill said, “When you are playing at this level, you play left-armer pacers at some point in your career. We do not play Pakistan that much as compared to the other sides. They have a quality bowling attack. It makes a difference when you do not face such a bowling attack frequently and are not used to it”.Gill also emphasized the differences in playing philosophies between himself and his opening partner, skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma is known for his skill in plying big shots, in contrast to Gill, who prefers to keep his shots on the ground during the powerplay. Bowlers frequently face a challenge because they must swiftly alter their strategies due to the stark contrast in playing styles.Gill said,”I like to play along the ground in the powerplay. Rohit takes on bowlers aerially. This combination works well for us. How different we are as players makes it difficult for bowlers to contain us”.
