India’s rising star Tilak Varma has been receiving a lot of flak for his strike rate. The right-handed batter cemented his place in the T20I set-up after his heroics against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup final. However, since then, Varma has taken the anchor role quite seriously.
In the ongoing UK tour, Tilak Varma batted with a 110, which goes against Team India’s current principles of an aggressive brand of cricket. The frustration has grown exponentially among fans, and they even touted Varma as India’s Babar Azam.
For the unversed, Babar too received a lot of flak for his lack of intent. Therefore, this article will shed light on Tilak and Babar Azam’s T20I stats after 50 T20Is.
Tilak Varma vs Babar Azam: T20I Stats
Criteria
Tilak Varma
Babar Azam
Innings
49
136
Runs
1477
4596
Average
43.44
38.94
Strike-Rate
142.70
128.02
100/50
2/7
3/39
Tilak Varma averages better than Babar Azam with 43.44, while the Pakistani counterpart only averages 38.94 in T20Is.
Tilak Varma also has a higher and better strike-rate than Babar. Visibly, there is a lot of difference in the runs scored by the two players because the former Pakistan captain has played 136 innings.
Tilak Varma vs Babar Azam: Stats After 49 T20I Innings
Criteria
Tilak Varma
Babar Azam
Innings
49
49
Runs
1477
1940
Average
43.44
48.5
Strike-Rate
142.70
131.61
100/50
2/7
1/17
If we look at the stats of the two players after 49 innings, then Tilak Varma has scored fewer runs than Babar. The Pakistan star has 1940 runs, while Tilak only has 1477 runs in 49 innings, clearly hinting that the right-handed batter was more consistent with his performance at the start of his career.
Babar Azam averaged 48.5 in first 49 T20I innings, while Tilak only has 43.44. Now, coming to the strike-rate, the India star is ahead but not by a significant margin.
The India southpaw has a strike-rate of 142, while Babar Azam, who made his T20I debut in 2016, batted with a strike-rate of 131.61 after 49 T20I innings. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma only has a strike-rate of 131.61.
Interestingly, the two players played in different eras, where the other players too played at a different strike-rate. Therefore, let's calculate their performance according to the mean strike-rate.
How Has Tilak Varma Performed Compared To His Peers?
Criteria
Tilak Varma
Rest Of The Batters
Innings
49
49
Strike-Rate
142.70
139.54 (Since Tilak Varma's debut)
Mean Deviation
+3.16
-
* Rest of the batters minimum 1000 runs scored
Tilak made his debut in 2023 and since then, the game has evolved a lot. Keeping minimum 1000 runs as a criteria, then the southaw has actually exceeded the expectations.
The global mean strike-rate in cricket is 139.54. However, Tilak has 142.70, which is +3.16 more than the rest of the batters. Although, the difference is not significant, which is why the fans are concerned and want the left-handed batter to score quick.
How Has Babar Azam Fared Compared To His Peers?
Criteria
Babar Azam
Rest Of The Batters
Innings
49
49
Strike-Rate
131.61
147.32 (Since Babar Azam's debut)
Mean Deviation
-15.71
-
Babar Azam made his T20I debut in 2016 and during that era, the mean strike-rate was 147.32. Comparing to that, Babar averaged 131.61, which is -15.71 compared to his peers.
It is is clear that Azam focused on his consistency and it paid off for Pakistan during that time because they were getting runs on the board.
The Verdict: Is Tilak Varma Rightly Labelled As India's Babar Azam?
If we look at Tilak Varma's stats, then it is clear that he bats more aggresively than Azam, but also has been little less consistent than the Pakistani counterpart after first 49 T20I innings.
Babar Azam played with a 131 strike-rate in an era where his teammates were also batting with a maximum strike-rate of 150 but not more than that. Hence, there was not much pressure on the right-handed batter.
However, with Tilak Varma, if we look at the Indian team, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan, all have a strike-rate of 150. Hence, Tilak gets the spotlight because he is slower than his Indian counterparts, despite maintaining a strike-rate higher than global standards.
Therefore, the assesment of comparing Tilak with Babar for his strike-rate is not true because the same batter has the ability to score quickfire centuries. However, he is not far away from becoming Azam if he continues to anchor in same manner.
Tilak Varma and Babar Azam - (Source: AFP)
