Babar Azam's message for out-of-form Virat Kohli wins hearts

Team India faced a crushing defeat in the second ODI against England, as the hosts cruised to a 100-run win at Lord's. Reece Topley shined for England with a six-wicket haul, as the side bowled India out on 146 in a 247-run chase. The game saw the return of star India batter Virat Kohli, who was forced to miss the first ODI due to a groin injury. However, the 33-year-old star failed to make a mark with the bat again, as he was dismissed on 16 off 25 balls.

Chasing a delivery outside-off, Kohli nicked the ball for an easy catch for wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, adding to the concerns of the team management over his form. The former India captain is enduring a rough patch over the past few months; he had scored only 341 runs in 16 matches in the 2022 Indian Premier League, and also failed to step up in the rescheduled fifth Test against England on his return to international cricket. Kohli scored 11 and 20 in two innings of the Test, and further registered scores of 1 and 11 in two T20Is.

While the right-handed batter is receiving fierce criticism from some of the former Indian cricketers including World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, he found support from across the border on Thursday.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is widely regarded as one of the top batters at the moment (ranked 1st in T20Is and ODIs, and 4th in Tests) posted a tweet in support of Virat Kohli as the former India captain continues to struggle across formats. Posting a photo of him with Kohli that was taken during the T20 World Cup, Babar wrote, "This too shall pass".

The last time Kohli and Babar met on a cricket field was when the former was still the captain of the Indian team. Both sides met in a T20 World Cup match in October, with Pakistan cruising to a 10-wicket win in the game.

Babar will return to action on July 16 when the side takes on Sri Lanka in the first of two Tests in Galle. Kohli, meanwhile, will be on a break after the third and final ODI of the series against England as he has been rested for the West Indies tour – comprising of 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is.