“I will try to be like him”: Babar Azam breaks silence on his comparison with Virat Kohli
Babar Azam on comparisons with Virat Kohli (Screengrab: YouTube)

Pakistan’s top-order batsman Babar Azam is undoubtedly an extraordinary talent. With supreme consistency across formats, Babar has built his image as one of the enthralling batsmen of modern-day cricket. Last year he was made the T20I skipper of the Pakistan team and recently, he was rewarded with the ODI captaincy as well.

Babar’s relentless run-making ability has seen him being compared to Indian captain and leading run-scorer of modern cricket, Virat Kohli. Lots of fans and experts feel that Babar has all the qualities to be like Kohli in the international arena.

But what does Babar think of these comparisons? Well, the Lahore-born has himself shed lights on the red-hot topic. In a recent interview on Cricbuzz hosted by veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle, Babar has rated Kohli as one of the best in the business.

“People tend to compare us a lot. In my opinion, he (Kohli) is one of the best batsmen. I still have to achieve a lot in my career. I will try to be like him, win matches for my team, make records like him,” said Babar.

Babar stated that in his early days while watching a game, he used to imagine what he would’ve done if he was batting in a particular situation.

“Yes, I do try and keep track of how the top players are performing. Who is going at the top and all… So, I used to try and watch them play. How they bat in different conditions, what their approach is. I always try to visualize that what I would have done if I were to be in that situation, against a particular bowler,” the 25-year-old added.

On being compared with the legends, Babar opined that he doesn’t like that. The limited-over skipper of Pakistan articulated that he just wants to perform for his team and impress the fans.

“I don’t like to compare myself with great players; I only try to satisfy myself, my team and our supporters. I just want to give fans the moment of happiness. I want Pakistan to win,” the Somerset player added further.
Babar further explained that he always tries to improve and perform against different teams on different conditions.

“I generally don’t get satisfied with my batting; I always try to improve. I always thought of featuring in the top-5 or top-4 batsmen list in the world by performing in different conditions,” concluded the right-handed batsman.

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