Babar has now gone 72 consecutive innings without a century in international cricket.
Veteran Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad believes his compatriot Babar Azam should never have been compared to a legend like Virat Kohli.
Babar has now gone 72 consecutive innings without a century in international cricket, with his last three-digit score coming against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023.
The former Pakistan captain, recently snubbed from the T20I squad, has also endured an extended downfall in Test cricket - amassing only 590 runs at an average of 23.6 in 25 innings since 2023. Even in ODIs, considered his strongest format, Babar is averaging only 30.36 this year.
“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. He is a legend of this generation, a role model,” Shehzad said in an interview, as reported by TOI.
“You cannot compare him even 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,” he added.
Babar Azam failed to make a mark in the recent three-match ODI series against West Indies, scoring only 56 runs at an average of 18.66 and a strike rate of 62.22.