Mohammad Kaif names Jasprit Bumrah and Babar Azam as standout players from Asian contingent in modern era
Mohammad Kaif has picked India's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan's all-format skipper Babar Azam as standout players from the Asian contingent in modern-day cricket. Kaif has also cited why he named the particular two players, instead of picking popular names such as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
The game of cricket has seen plenty of prominent crickets rising upwards and onwards in the last decade or so. The sport, with the change in formats, has been evolving so fast, and it has helped to imrprove the players even more, mentally and tactically. It would be very hard to pick the best among them, and Mohammad Kaif was asked the give an answer to that question by Sportskeeda.
Many might have predicted Kaif would name Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni -- two of the most popular cricketers' names of India, if not the world, in the past 10 years -- as the two best players from the Asian contigent. But surprisingly, Kaif did not go with the flow. He named India's ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and Pakistan's all-format skipper Babar Azam as the best from the subcontinent, and also gave explanations behind picking them. Kaif felt Bumrah's 'calm-headed' nature, and Babar's consistency have made them two of the best in the world in modern era.
"t's a tough one, but I like Bumrah. People talk a lot about batters from Kohli to Dhoni...they are all great players but someone like Bumrah, he is very calm-headed, is cool and composed and delivers under pressure as we have seen in the last few years. He has emerged as an all-format player. His arrival has helped India in bettering their overseas Test win percentage," Kaif told Sportskeeda.
"Pakistan has got real talent and some fantastic player. Babar Azam is there. I like Shaheen Afridi. But I would suggest Babar. He has been playing very well and has been in form, scoring well continuously. But he isn't appreciated enough for his performances, but for Pakistan he has already been a brilliant player."