Ajinkya Rahane Raises Fresh Trigger On Virat Kohli Fans With Babar Azam Comparison

Rahane ends Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli comparison [Source: AFP]

Babar Azam, the Pakistan batter, had a chance to redeem himself and show his class to the world in the T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals, India. On a wicket that suited his style of play, Babar failed to deliver the goods as he got dismissed while trying to play a reckless slog, and that ended Pakistan’s slim hopes of winning.

Pakistan needed a tricky 176 to win the contest against India, and with Pakistan two wickets down, the Men in Green needed their most experienced player, Babar to stay at the crease and support Usman Khan. However, the batter, just like every other T20 World Cup edition ,crumbled under pressure.

No comparison between Babar and Kohli's class

After India’s dominant win and Babar’s failure, legendary Indian cricketer, Ajinkya Rahane, dismissed Pakistan batter’s comparison with Indian great, Virat Kohli, as he hailed his former teammate “the greatest all-format batter.”

Babar was often compared to Kohli in terms of skill set, but unlike Kohli, the Pakistan batter has yet to win a single game for his nation in World Cups, and here’s what Rahane said about the unnecessary linkup between the two players.

"There is no comparison between Virat & Babar. Virat is the Greatest player across all formats. Don't compare Babar with Virat Kohli. Virat is far ahead. Virat's game awareness is amazing for all formats. He's so good in under pressure situations," Rahane said on the Cricbuzz show.

A couple of days earlier, Rahane was the one who indirectly demeaned Kohli's MCG heroics from the 2022 T20 World Cup, but when asked about the comparison with Babar, Rahane was quick to come to Kohli's defence.

How the comparison started between Babar and Kohli

Having made his international debut almost a decade earlier, Babar quickly became a household name in Pakistan with his charismatic batting and a free-flowing cover drive that resembled Kohli. The former Indian captain is known for his trademark cover-drive shot, and when Babar started to play that shot, experts in Pakistan found similarities between the two players.

By the time Babar Azam made his debut for Pakistan, Kohli was already a great player for his side, and when Babar started to perform for his nation, fans expected him to become “Pakistan’s Kohli,” and this is when pressure got to the elegant right-handed batter.

For a brief period, the comparison looked fair as the former Pakistan skipper piled up truckloads of runs in bilaterals, but he never delivered the goods in ICC events, and over the last few years, reality has come in front of every Pakistan supporter.

Babar's unreal downfall in T20Is

Stats can sometimes be deceptive, and it is true in Babar’s case. He is the leading run-getter in the T20I format, but more than half of his runs have come in matches with no pressure.

Till 2022, the 31-year-old was going strong and was still considered a key member of the Pakistan T20 squad. However, the downfall started in 2023, and the stats reveal the story. In 43 matches, he has racked up 1216 runs, with an average of 33.78, and a worrying strike rate of 129.22.

During the same period, Kohli was winning games and World Cups for India, and Babar fell behind in the race as the comparison soon diminished.