Babar Azam can become first batter to be ranked no. 1 in all Formats: Karthik

TIL Desk Sports/ Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik reckons Babar Azam will soon become the top-ranked batter across formats, adding that Pakistan skipper is reaping the benefits of the subtle changes made in his batting technique.

The 27-year-old, who has been a consistent campaigner across all three formats, currently holds the top spot among batters in T20Is as well as ODIs and Karthik is confident Babar can become the first player in the history of the sport to be ranked No.1 across all three formats.”One-hundred per cent (he is capable of achieving the No.1 ranking in all three formats). He (Babar) is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up,” Karthik said on The ICC Review.

“He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too. I 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. In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne and the ‘Big Four’ of India’s Virat Kohli, England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.