For a man with a solid technique and good temperament, Babar Azam has not managed to grab headlines in the longest format when compared to his ODI numbers. When he got to his maiden century in Test cricket against New Zealand on Day 2 of the ongoing Test match, it came as a major relief for the right-hander.
In his last four Test innings, the 24-year old has managed 92, 62, 13 and an unbeaten 127 on Sunday. There were a string of scores, yes, but it did not leave a lasting imprint on the match, a factor which was bothering the young man. With this knock, his average in 2018 has risen to 67.71 which is better the average of the Indian captain Virat Kohli, who has scored 1063 runs in 18 innings at an average of 59.05.
Babar is well clear of the Indian captain and now leads the table for batsmen who have scored a minimum of 400 runs this year.
“I’d be lying if I say that not scoring a Test century was a burden on me. The difference is that I did the job today. My previous best scores will be counted as half-centuries. I had heard that scoring a Test century is special and that’s exactly what I experienced. I was out on 99 against Australia. It’s definitely a relief to get over the line. I have gained a lot of confidence in the wake of scoring this hundred,” Babar said after reaching his century.
