“Virat Kohli has established himself as a great, while Babar Azam…,” India great gives his VERDICT on Kohli-Babar comparison

According to Harbhajan, Kohli, who has 75 centuries to his name (and is only behind Sachin Tendulkar), has established himself as a great.

“Virat Kohli has established himself as a great, while Babar Azam…,” India great gives his VERDICT on Kohli-Babar comparison

Babar Azam, Virat Kohli (Images via Twitter)

There will always be comparisons between two players who have been climbing ladders in cricket, and at present, one can hear a lot of these comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Recently, Harbhajan Singh took up this topic and discussed it with former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar.

According to Harbhajan, Kohli, who has 75 centuries to his name (and is only behind Sachin Tendulkar), has established himself as a great. But Babar has not yet reached that level, especially in T20 cricket.

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In 104 T20Is, the Pakistan skipper has scored 3485 runs at a strike rate of 128.40. It is his strike rate in the shortest format which comes under the radar every time, owing to which he receives criticism. On the other hand, Kohli has a strike rate of 137.96 in the shortest format.

“Virat Kohli has established himself as a great, while Babar Azam still has a lot to do. He will reach there someday, as he is a wonderful player. He is very good in Test cricket, but maybe T20 doesn’t suit him a lot,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

Related: “Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed,” Ravichandran Ashwin relives drama-filled T20 WC last over against Pakistan

Shoaib Akhtar takes a jibe at Babar Azam’s critics while lauding Virat Kohli

"Virat Kohli has established himself as a great, while Babar Azam...," India great gives his VERDICT on Kohli-Babar comparison
Babar Azam, Virat Kohli (Image via Twitter)

Shoaib Akhtar has always lauded Virat Kohli and did the same once again. He called Kohli the greatest which Babar has not yet become. The Rawalpindi Express also slammed Babar’s critics for their scathing remarks on the skipper.

“Virat Kohli is the greatest, and Babar Azam is in the making to be the greatest batsman ever. He is trying to get better in T20s. People are behind him for no reason,” Akhtar added.

The two players, Babar and Kohli, share a good camaraderie on and off the field. The Pakistani skipper even backed Kohli during the latter’s horrid lean-patch phase.

Meanwhile, the two players will soon face each other when India and Pakistan will lock horns on October 15 in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Interestingly, Babar will turn 29 on the same day.

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