Pakistan’s Babar Azam is an incredible talent and a genius batsman. Due to his supreme consistency in all the formats, Babar has built his image as one of the most delightful batsmen to watch out for in the current period. Thanks to the regular match-winning performances, last year Babar was made the T20I skipper of the Pakistan team, and recently, he was handed over with the ODI captaincy as well.
Babar’s remarkable run-making ability has seen him being compared to Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. Lots of fans and experts believe that Babar has all the potential to become one of the most elegant batsmen for Pakistan, just like Kohli is for Indian cricket.
Speaking about Kohli, then the 31-year-old wholly owns modern-day cricket. At present, he is the only batsman to average above 50 in all formats. Under his leadership, Team India is also at the top spot in the ICC Test Championship standings with 360 points.
However, as per India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, it’s unfair for Babar to be compared with his Indian counterpart. Ashwin stated that at this stage, comparing Babar with Kohli should stop as it could put the Pakistani under pressure.
“I really enjoy Babar Azam’s batting. I watched the century he scored in Australia. Comparisons with Virat Kohli will put pressure on him, which is unfair. Kohli is one of the finest cricketers the world has produced. I am sure Babar’s time will come too,” said Ashwin as quoted by ARY Sports.
As of now, Babar has played 26 Tests, 74 ODIs and 38 T20Is for Pakistan. He owns the No. 1 spot in ICC Rankings when it comes to T20Is and holds No. 3 and No. 6 positions in ODIs and Tests respectively.
The 25-year-old is currently in England along with the Pakistani team for their upcoming Test and T20I series. It will also be the first series of Pakistan since the halt in cricketing action amid coronavirus pandemic. Pakistan will play three Tests and as many T20Is in their UK tour.
Earlier, Babar had said that he doesn’t like when people compare him with Kohli. The Lahore-born had stated that fans should instead compare him with the likes of some legendary Pakistani players like Javed Miandad or Younis Khan.
“I don’t want to be compared with Virat Kohli. It would be better if people compare me with one of the Pakistani legends like Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf or Younis Khan. If you compare me to these legends, I will like it more and feel proud of my accomplishments,” Babar had said while speaking to Pakistan media from Worcestershire.
