For several years, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson had been headlining the ‘Fab 4’ of batting in the modern-era. However, over the last three years, Babar Azam with his consistent performance in all three formats, has entered the fray to make it the Fab Five. The Pakistan captain has been piling up runs, averaging 42.5 in Tests, 56.83 in ODIs and 43.2 in T20Is.
As a result of his impressive performances, clamours of his comparison with Kohli have grown louder. Many believe that Babar is of the same calibre as Kohli and although the Pakistan captain, being younger to his Indian counterpart, may not possess the glittering records that Kohli has, he seems to be on the path to greatness. Babar recently overtook Kohli to become the fastest batsmen to score 2000 T20Is runs.
A comparison between the two has always been a topic of hot discussion, with Babar finally opening up on how he perceives people drawing similarities between the two. The Pakistan captain called Kohli one of world’s best and that he feels proud when people mention him and in the same sentence as the India captain.
“Virat Kohli is one of the best players in the world. He has performed everywhere and in big matches. When people compare us, I don’t feel pressure, I feel proud because they are comparing me with such a big player,” Babar told Khaleej Times.
Babar weighed in further on the comparison, believing that while he and Kohli are two completely different players with unique styles, the Pakistan captain does see the India skipper as motivation to raise the level of his game. Calling Kohli a proven performer, Babar said his aim is to perform more consistently and win matches for Pakistan like Kohli does for India.
“Personally, I don’t think there should be a comparison, but people do that and I feel happy. So my aim is to perform the way he does and help my team win matches and make Pakistan proud. Look, we are different players. I have my style of playing and he has his style. So I try to perform to the best of my ability,” explained Babar.
