Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are regarded as two of the best all-format cricketers in the world, which often leads to comparisons between them. Kohli has a significant advantage in terms of experience and runs, having made his international debut in 2008 and accumulating over 25,000 runs in all three formats at an average of 53.44, including 75 centuries. His records are only surpassed by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the history of international cricket.
On the other hand, Babar made his debut for Pakistan in 2015 and has quickly established himself as their batting mainstay across all formats. In his eight-year career, Azam has scored over 12,000 runs at an impressive average of 49.87, including 30 centuries.
Now, former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his opinion that Babar is not yet on the same level as Kohli. The 42-year-old veteran off-spinner highlighted Kohli’s proven track record and his status as one of the greats of the game across formats.
“Virat Kohli has already etched his name among the elites, whereas Babar Azam is still in the nascent stage of his journey towards greatness. He possesses extraordinary talent and will inevitably ascend to the summit. Although he excels in Test cricket, T20s may not be his most ideal format,” the former Indian cricketer said on his Youtube channel.
Accompanying the legendary Indian spinner’s statement during the discussion on his YouTube channel, former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, known as the Rawalpindi Express, echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that Babar still has some ground to cover to match Kohli’s level of excellence.
The Rawalpindi-born highlighted Babar’s progress in the shortest version of the game and criticized the undue harshness of critics towards him.
“Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the greatest, and Babar Azam is in the process of becoming one of the greatest batsmen ever. He is striving to improve his performance in T20s. People unjustly target him without reason,” Akhtar said.
It is worth noting that both Kohli and Azam have shown admiration and respect for each other on multiple occasions. Their comparisons arise from the acknowledgment of their exceptional batting skills and the excitement they bring to the game.
Notably, India and Pakistan will battle it out against each other in the ODI World Cup 2023 match scheduled to take place on 15th October in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
