Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is touted to be the next big thing in International Cricket, as he was often compared with the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, as he impressed everyone with his consistency to perform in all three formats of the game against high-quality opponents in International cricket.
Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter across the three formats of the game, his domination in Cricket has been of a different level altogether and he would walk into any team in world cricket across three formats of the game. He has been spearheading the batting attack in all three formats of the game. The 34-year-old has dominated the game for over a decade or so.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been an exceptional performer for men in green in all three formats since his debut for Pakistan and is regarded as one of the greatest batters from Pakistan to play in World Cricket. There was no doubt about his batting skills in International Cricket, Babar has a total of 30 hundred in all formats of cricket in International cricket, with over 59.17 average in 50 overs format in 98 innings.
1. Imran Khan
Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan gave his opinion on the discussion about Virat Kohli And Babar Azam’s debate and said that Azam has good quality and he has the ability to enough that he could surpass Kohli.
“I haven’t recently seen cricket, but I believe that Virat Kohli and Babar Azam belong to the same class. Babar Azam can surpass Virat Kohli; he is that good, from what I have seen,” Imran Khan said.
2. Ian Bishop
Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop feels that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has almost overtaken Virat Kohli in the 50-over format of the game. The star batter averages around 59.17 in ODI cricket with 18 centuries in the games
“Babar Azam is on the road to greatness. I want to be clear when I say ‘on the road to…’, in white-ball cricket at least, and certainly in fifty overs. I don’t use the term ‘great’ loosely.
“It has to be a bigger sample size to bestow greatness on a player, but his average, as we speak now, (is) on the cusp of 60 with 17 ODI hundreds. He has almost overtaken his next-door neighbour, the great Virat Kohli, in terms of the ultimate uber 50-over batter,” Bishop asserted.
3. Nasser Hussain
Cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain believes that Babar Azam has the potential to surpass the Indian legend in International cricket if he can find his consistency in overseas conditions, as he performed exceptionally well on the home soil.
“He just needs that consistency in Test cricket to be up there with the likes of Virat Kohli. Babar’s done that for 6 to 9 months so far, he just needs to be consistent for a longer period.”
4. Saqlain Mushtaq
Speaking to the media, former Pakistan Cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq was asked his opinion on both players before the 2022 T20 World Cup. The legendary spinner said that he would go with Babar, but Kohli is a player who is close to his heart
“Definitely Babar kahunga… but Virat mere dil ke bohot karib hai,” said Saqlain Mushtaq.
5. Dinesh Karthik
India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik reckons Babar Azam will soon become the top-ranked batter across formats. Karthik is confident Babar can become the first player in the history of the sport to be ranked No.1 across all three formats.
6. Mohammad Yousuf
Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf believes that Babar Azam has an edge over Virat Kohli based on certain criteria and reckons that the Pakistan Skipper has played lesser cricket compared to the Indian batting maestro in International Cricket, with the age on his side, Yousuf feels that Babar Azam will get better than Virat Kohli
“Kohli has played much more cricket than Babar who has only about three to four years of exposure in international cricket. But yes, if you ask me to make a comparison based on where Kohli stood after the same number of matches that Babar has played, I would say Babar has done better,” Yousuf said.
7. Matthew Hayden
Former Australian opener and Pakistan coach Matthew Hayden weighed his opinion on the debate between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. He believes that the Pakistan skipper has a calm and composed mindset to play in all three formats of the game and reckons that he has enough years to surpass Virat Kohli.
“Babar and his personality are, as you see, what you get, He is very consistent. He is very stable. He is not overly flamboyant. They are opposites the way I look at it. Babar is pretty calm most of the time and goes about his captaincy and batting meticulously while Kohli is very animated, very passionate, and very boisterous on the field,” Hayden quipped.
8. Shoaib Akhtar
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes that Babar Azam is better in the chase, as he got an excellent temperament to chase down big totals against high-quality opponents. The speedster said that he got the ability to become the all-time best in International Cricket.
“I think hats off to the chase. At one point, the chasing template was Virat Kohli’s great characteristic. Babar has replicated it and shown it. Babar’s class is far better than anyone else in this world. His elegance and shot selection are all class and if his strike rate goes above 150-160, then he becomes something else. And when he does that, Pakistan wins games,” he stated.
9. Simon Doull
Simon Doull believes that Babar Azam is arguably been the standout batter as far as batting in the top order is concerned. The Pakistan skipper is a consistent batter for the Men in Green in all three formats of the game and reckons that he is above the fab 4 at the moment.
“Not many could argue that Babar Azam is the best player in the world at the moment. As far as batting in that top order is concerned, he is unbelievable. Joe Root’s got an argument for that too. They talk about the big four, at the moment, he’s the big one,” Simon Doull said
10. Inzamam-ul-Haq
Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that Babar Azam will get better with age and reckons that he got a lot of time to reach the stature of Virat Kohli in International Cricket. The 28-year-old has been an exceptional performer for the country in all three formats of the game, and he can get better in forthcoming years.
“Babar is always compared to Virat Kohli but the latter has played a lot more cricket and if you look at their stats and performances at the stage Babar is now, he has not done badly at all,” Inzamam maintained.