May 14, 2023
Emperor Mohammad Babar Azam
By Syed Rifaquat Ali
If India's indomitable batsman Virat Kohli is 'King', Pakistan's Mohammad Babar Azam is cricket's Emperor.
Babar has overtaken Virat Kohli in many ways in a short time. While Virat Kohli has scored 5000 runs in International matches in 114 innings, Babar scored the same number of runs in 99 innings.
Likewise, Kohli has scored just one century in ICC T20 in 115 innings, Babar Azam has scored three centuries in the same format in 104 innings. But Kohli is Kohli and Babar is Babar.
And the comparison between the two is not justified and meaningless.
Cricket pundits are off their head as they are intermittently comparing Babar Azam with Virat Kohli: two of the greatest right-hand batsmen of our time.
Kohli was in the thick of runs in the last decade, Babar Azam is dominating the international cricket scene this decade.
How prudish and foolhardy it was on the part of former PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja to say recently that Babar Azam is better than the late Sir Donald Bradman, whose average in Test cricket was a staggering 99. It seems Raja was not in his senses and he said this in hallucination.
If you look at the statistics of Kohli and Babar, it is just incredible and astonishing. Born on November 5, 1988, Kohli is 34 years old and past his prime. He made his Test debut in 2011 and is the only batsman in the world to take No.1 spot in all the three formats, Test, ODI and T-20 in 2018. In a single decade, he scored 20,000 in 2019.
Kohli has scored 8416 runs in Test, 12,898 runs in ODi and a century in T-20. He was a member of India's World Cup and Champions Trophy winning teams. Lately, there has been a decline in his form, and after scoring 70 international tons, he has scored just 4 centuries in over two years which is unlike Kohli's batting form.
Kohli is one batsman in the world who pays scant respect to any kind of bowling, fast or spin. He is a complete batsman, who is majestically strong both on off and on sides, and hooks and pulls with scientific precision.
His running between the wickets is gazelle-like. He has worked very hard to attain perfection in the game. Babar Azam on the other hand is in no way second fiddle to Kohli. Born on 15 October 1994, Babar Azam made his debut in Test on 31 May 2015 and is 28 years old. At such a young age, he has notched up 18 centuries
in ODI, the highest being 158 and averaging 59.17 which is just incredible.
In 47 Tests, Babar Azam has scored 3696 runs, his highest being 196 and recorded nine centuries, averaging 48.63. In ICC OdI Rankings, Babar Azam occupies first position in the slot.
Babar Azam plays fast bowlers with great authority and better than Virat Kohli, but is vulnerable, at times, against spin. It is a treat to watch him play fast bowlers.
Against South Africa, he smashed fast bowler Dale Steyn for four boundaries in one over, and Steyn was dropped in the next match.
One of the most unassuming Test players I have ever come across, I commanded him to talk to me when the Pakistan team was in Sydney a couple of years ago, and he did not disappoint me.
Babar has a long way to go, while Virat Kohli is in the twilight of his cricket career. It is therefore not justified to make comparison between the two: Kohli and Babar Azam.
Syed Rifaquat Ali is JoA Correspondent in Sydney
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Published since July 2008 |
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
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Prof. Arthur Scott
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