When it comes to the finest batsmen in the world, the names Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are right up there. There was a time when Kohli, the India captain, used to be compared with Australia’s Steve Smith, but lately, his comparison has shifted away from the former Australia captain and moved more towards Babar, Pakistan’s limited-overs captain.
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The cricketing world stands divided over the Kohli-Babar comparison, with most former players refusing to pick a favourite between them. Mohammad Yousuf, once the mainstay of Pakistan’s middle order, is to recent to have his say on the debate, and although the former batsman again did not pick a clear winner, Yousuf did give the Pakistan captain edge over Kohli based on a certain criteria.
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“Kohli has played much more cricket than Babar who has only about three to four years of exposure in international cricket. But yes, if you ask me to make a comparison based on where Kohli stood after the same number of matches that Babar has played, I would say Babar has done better,” Yousuf was quoted as saying by PTI.
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Most believe that the comparison between Kohli and Babar is not fair, mostly because based on experience, the Pakistan captain is a lot younger to his Indian counterpart. But based on numbers, Babar clearly has a better record than Kohli. His achievements in the first five years of his career boast a lot more batting accolades than where Kohli stood. Having said that, Yousuf took nothing away from Kohli, saying that the responsibility of captaincy has only brought the best out of the India skipper.
“Kohli is very committed that is why he is so successful and he has already got runs in every cricket playing nation. I felt captaincy had only made him a better player,” the 46-year-old said.