RAWALPINDI
\nPakistan Test opener Abdullah Shafique feels honoured to be compared with Indian legend Rahul Dravid by his captain Babar Azam.
\nThe stylish right-hander, who made his debut against Bangladesh last year, impressed during Australia\u2019s visit to Pakistan in March.
\nHe scored a century in the first Test and a crucial 96-run second-innings knock to rescue Pakistan in the second Test in Karachi before an 81-run innings in Lahore.
\nBabar, in awe of Abdullah\u2019s technique, ended up comparing him with Dravid and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in a recent interview.
\n\u201cI am honoured that Babar compared me with Dravid,\u201d Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan\u2019s preparatory camp for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
\nHowever, the 22-year-old revealed he idolises former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting and ex-Pakistan batter and current batting coach Mohammad Yousuf more than Dravid or Williamson.
\n\u201cI used to follow Ricky Ponting a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cI also follow Babar and Yousuf Bhai.\u201d
\nAbdullah combined for a 228-run partnership with Babar in Karachi, where the latter missed out narrowly on a double century but helped Pakistan manage a historic draw despite a dismal first innings show.
\nThe Lahore-born batter said he was \u201clearning a lot\u201d from Babar. \u201cBabar has faith in all players of the team and keeps on appreciating their performance,\u201d Abdullah said.
\nAbdullah was also a part of the Pakistan squad in their recent three-match One-day International series triumph against the West Indies. The Lahore Qalandars player, though, did not feature in any of the games.
\n\u201cIt was indeed a great experience for me. Although I didn\u2019t get the opportunity to play, it was good being around the players who were playing,\u201d he said.
\nAbdullah, who averages 68.37 in Tests, is looking forward to Pakistan\u2019s upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka which starts on July 16.
\nHe said practicing during the ongoing camp would prove beneficial to prepare for the conditions the island might offer.
\n\u201cWe have played good cricket in the last series against Australia but the challenges in Sri Lanka would be different,\u201d said Abdullah.
\n\u201cBut we are preparing accordingly.
\n\u201cI\u2019m also ready to grab the opportunity and determined to perform well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RAWALPINDI Pakistan Test opener Abdullah Shafique feels honoured to be compared with Indian legend Rahul Dravid by his captain Babar Azam. The stylish right-hander, who made his debut against Bangladesh last year, impressed during Australia\u2019s visit to Pakistan in March. He scored a century in the first Test and a crucial 96-run second-innings knock to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":268990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-268974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n