Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, two batsmen from border-sharing countries—the latter from Pakistan and the former from India—are probably the greatest batsmen in cricket history for their respective nations. The two cricketing talents, Virat and Babar, have both raised the bar for themselves.
Without a doubt, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are two of the best batters of the generation. But just as it is commonly said that “two lions cannot live in the same forest,” the same law holds here. Since both are the best of the generation, therefore comparisons between the two are prevalent. India, Pakistan, and even the rest of the world’s cricket fans and experts are in a battle to prove one better than another. (Read the complete comparison: Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam, techniques and stats analysis)
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A similar query was asked of Misbah-ul-Haq. When asked about the analogies between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, Misbah gave a fairly direct response. The former Pakistan captain was asked to draw parallels between the two all-time greats. Misbah said that Babar is just getting started and that he cannot be compared to Kohli.
Misbah in a video released by Paktv.tv, was found quoting “There shouldn’t be a comparison between the two. Kohli has played a lot of cricket, and Babar is just starting. When Babar will play the same amount of cricket, then you can make a comparison. Kohli has played more cricket, and no one can match him at the moment. Yes, Babar is a class player and he might achieve the same things as Kohli in the future, but at the moment, a comparison between the two doesn’t make sense because it’s just a start for Babar.”
Earlier, another former Pakistan captain Salman Butt had said, “Both are world-class cricketers and top-notch performers. But there’s no comparison with Virat Kohli at this point of his career. Kohli has scored 74 international tons and he didn’t score a hundred in three years. Now you can imagine the magnitude of his performances.” He also said that comparing the two would be like drawing parallels between ‘Wasim Akram and Shaheen Afridi’, insisting that it was too early to pass judgment.
Babar has so far played for Pakistan in 47 Tests, 95 ODIs, and 99 T20Is. He owns a remarkable fifty-over average of 59.4 and is now the fourth-highest run-getter in T20 Internationals (3,355). In contrast, Kohli leads the list of run scorers in the shortest format (4,008) and has amassed 74 international hundreds to date.
Babar has now won the ODI Player of the Year title twice in a row, matching Indian great Virat Kohli’s record set in 2017–18. Many have compared Babar’s batting prowess to that of Virat Kohli, but former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq thinks it’s too soon to draw such parallels.
No doubt they both are top-notch timers and strikers of the ball. These two are the real gem of modern-day cricket with vintage class.
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