Former Pakistan captain and Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez shared his thoughts on the comparison between Team India's talismanic batter Virat Kohli and Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are often considered among the greatest batters in modern-era cricket. However, the Pakistan captain is often compared to the Indian star batter due to similar styles of play and ability to score runs consistently. Though Babar Azam is yet to achieve the level of dominance of Virat Kohli in international cricket, he has shown the potential to match the calibre of the former Indian captain.
Speaking to Pakistani journalist, Hafeez said that Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are excellent cricketers while hailing the Indian batter's contribution to his national side in international cricket. He added that Babar still has a long way to go to compare with Kohli.
"There is no comparison. Both are very good players. Virat Kohli's contribution and performances for Team India are mammoth and fabulous. Babar is doing well for Pakistan but he still has a long way to go to compare with Kohli ." former PCB Director of Cricket said.
Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters to have graced the game of cricket as he achieved plethora records to his name in his career spanning 16 years thus far. In international cricket, Kohli has amassed 26733 runs, including 80 centuries and 139 fifties, at an average of 54.11 in 522 matches so far.
The 35-year-old is currently part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing IPL 2024. Virat Kohli is currently leading the Orange Cap race, with 430 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 61.43 and a strike rate of 145.76 in 9 matches.
'Criticism that Babar faces is not fair': Mohammad Hafeez
Former PCB Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez also spoke about the unfair criticism towards Babar Azam, stating that it is wrong to expect him to do everything for the team. He added that Pakistan captain needs to adapt skills as per the requirements in modern-day cricket.
"Babar is fabulous player but criticism that he actively faces is unfair as one cannot expect to do everything for the team. However, he needs adapt to certain skills that are required in modern-era cricket as the game continues to evolve quickly." Hafeez said.
Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy duties across all formats after Pakistan's disappointing campaign in the last year's ODI World Cup. However, the 29-year-old returned to leading Men in Green in white-ball cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Azam is currently leading Pakistan in the four-match T20I series against New Zealand, where they lost the series 1-2.
