Harbhajan Singh: “Please don’t do Virat Kohli’s comparison with Babar Azam. Virat is Virat and what he has achieved in cricket, very few have. Babar may be a very good batter, but he is not in the same league as Virat Kohli. Virat has dominated world cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has made it clear that Pakistan batsman Babar Azam “is not in the same league as Virat Kohli”.
Kohli and Azam have repeatedly been compared to each other as they are their respective team’s frontline batsman.
However, Harbhajan dismissed the comparisons, noting Azam hasn’t achieved anywhere near as much as Kohli has.
“Please don’t do Virat Kohli’s comparison with Babar Azam. Virat is Virat and what he has achieved in cricket, very few have. Babar may be a very good batter, but he is not in the same league as Virat Kohli. Virat has dominated world cricket,” he told Suno TV as quoted by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s limited overs series against Australia and scored 80 runs in three ODIs at an average of 80.
He then proceeded to make 47 runs in three T20Is at an average of 15.66.
Pakistan then travelled to Zimbabwe, but Azam was rested for both the ODI and T20I series.
As for the tour of South Africa, the 30-year-old started with 31 runs in two T20Is at an average of 15.50 before going on to accumulate 148 runs in three ODIs, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.33.
Just like the ODIs, Azam also did well in the two-Test series, finishing with 193 runs, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 48.25.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a two-Test series against the West Indies, which will be held in Karachi and Multan from January 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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