Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has lauded Pakistan's skipper's batting prowess saying that he could light up the World Cup.
Speaking on an Indian TV channel, the former Indian opener, when asked to pick one batsman to look out for in this World Cup, chose the Pakistani skipper.
The host took notable names such as India's Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Australia's David Warner and Steve Smith, New Zealand's Kane Williamson and England's Joe Root. However, Gambhir chose Babar Azam.
"Babar Azam possesses all the qualities to set this World Cup on fire," the former Indian cricketer said.
"I have not seen many players who have so much time to play. Yes, I believe that we have greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, but Babar Azam possesses a different level of quality [he's on another level]."
Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam is currently the top-ranked one-day international (ODI) batsman in the world as per the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.
Azam tops the list with a rating of 857. Meanwhile, in Tests, the Green Shirts' skipper is currently ranked at number four with a rating of 829.
The 28-year-old has been ranked the number one ODI batter for about 900 days now
The Men in Green will kick off their World Cup campaign on October 6 by taking on the Netherlands in Hyderabad.
Pakistan will take on India in the most-anticipated match of the World Cup on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmadabad in front of 132,000 spectators.
