When Babar Azam debuted internationally in May 2015, Virat Kohli had already established himself as one of the worldโs premier cricketers. By then, Kohli had won major tournaments like the ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy, and was named Player of the Tournament in the 2014 T20 World Cup. As Babar started scoring consistently for Pakistan, many in the cricketing world began drawing comparisons between him and Kohli.
Shehzad Blames Kohli Comparisons for Added Pressure
Former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad believes these comparisons have negatively impacted Babar, creating excessive pressure to perform regularly. Shehzad emphasized that Kohliโs achievements are unparalleled in modern cricket, stating that even MS Dhoni cannot be compared to him in terms of batting, athleticism, or overall impact.
โ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ต๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ. ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐? ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ . ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ , ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐บ๐๐๐๐.
โ๐ต๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐.โ
Babarโs Lean Patch and Recent Struggles
Babar has been enduring a prolonged dip in form across formats. His struggles have led to him losing his spot in both the Test and T20I squads. Although he made a brief return to the Test side during Pakistanโs home series against the West Indies in January 2025, he has not played T20I cricket since December 2024.
In the recently concluded ODI series in the Caribbean, the 30-year-old managed only 47 (64), 0 (3), and 9 (23) in three matches, drawing sharp criticism from fans and pundits alike. His underwhelming performance has sparked intense debate in Pakistan cricket circles, with many analysts attributing part of the struggle to the burden of constant comparisons with one of the modern greats, Virat Kohli.
Also Read: ICC ODI Rankings: Rohit Sharma Climbs to No. 2, Overtakes Babar Azam