"No One Can Match Him...": Ex-Pakistan Skipper On Comparison Between Virat Kohli And Babar Azam

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Thursday clinched the ICC men's cricketer of the year award and also the ODI cricketer of the year prize for the second successive year. The 28-year-old batter, who has smashed 17 tons and 24 half-centuries in 95 ODI matches, led Pakistan to the finals of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup 2022. Many fans and experts often compare Babar with star India batter Virat Kohli, who was also awarded with the ODI cricketer of the year back in 2017 and 2018.

However, former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq completely dismissed all the comparisons and stated that both the players are at different stages of their career and comparing them "doesn't make sense".

“There shouldn't be a comparison between the two. Kohli has played a lot of cricket, 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," Misbah said to paktv.tv.

"Yes, Babar is a class player and he might achieve the same things as Kohli in the future, but at the moment, comparison between the two doesn't make sense because it's just a start for Babar," he added.

Notably, Kohli, who didn't score a ton for more than three years, ended his century drought last year in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan, which was his 1st hundred in T20Is.

Since then, the 35-year-old hasn't looked back, smashing three centuries in his last seven ODI outings.

He is just three ODI tons away from equalling former India batter Sachin Tendulkar's (49) record of scoring the most number of tons in the format.

Talking about Babar, he had a stunning year with the bat in 2021, scored 679 runs from nine ODI matches at an average of 84.87 with three centuries in 2022. Babar is also the top-ranked batter in the ODI rankings, a title that he has held firmly onto since July 2021. Notably, under his leadership, Pakistan lost just one ODI in 2022.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Misbah-ul-Haq Babar Azam Virat Kohli Cricket