Ahmed Shehzad: “No one should be compared with anyone because it’s unfair and it adds extra pressure, which we are now seeing on Babar Azam”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Senior Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad doesn’t want to see batsman Babar Azam being compared to India megastar Virat Kohli as it does nothing but put extra pressure on him.
Azam and Kohli have constantly been compared to each other as they have both been the backbone of the batting line-up for their respective countries.
Shehzad believes Kohli is in a league of his own given what he has accomplished in his illustrious career.
Instead of putting Azam side by side with his Indian counterpart, Shehzad prefers if the 30-year-old is left alone and supported as he tries to break out of the rough patch he currently finds himself in.
“When everything was going well, you were running campaigns comparing players. Now that the performances are not coming, you are saying ‘don’t compare two players.’ Why not? Virat Kohli’s comparison cannot be made with anyone in the world,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by A Sports.
“He (Kohli) is a legend of this generation, a role model. You cannot even compare him with MS Dhoni. Dhoni may have been a great captain, but as a batter, cricketer, and athlete, Kohli stands alone. No one should be compared with anyone because it’s unfair and it adds extra pressure, which we are now seeing on Babar Azam.”
Azam recently missed Pakistan’s T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the T20I series against the West Indies.
He did feature in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies and finished with 56 runs at an average of 18.66.
After touring the West Indies, the men in green played a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, but Azam was not included in the team.
He was also overlooked for the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, which is being held in the UAE.
Pakistan have won two games so far – against Oman and the UAE – and lost one match, which came against India.
Having made it to the Super Four stage, they will take on India once again on September 21 in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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