Pakistan's prodigious batting talent Babar Azam has long been compared with Virat Kohli, arguably the world's best batsman across all formats of the game. But the youngster doesn't see himself anywhere close to the Indian captain; infact he aspires to be like him one day.
"Look he (Kohli) has already achieved a lot. He is a legend in his country. Honestly there is no comparison with me right now but eventually I also want to get where he is today," Babar said regarding Kohli who is currently the No.1 ranked Test and ODI batsman.
Read Also: Yasir Shah wants to test his skills against Virat Kohli in Test cricket
"The media and people have drawn comparisons between me and Virat Kohli but I realise that I still need to get more runs in red ball cricket to be ranked among the top players. That is why in recent months I have been focusing a lot on getting consistent scores in Test matches."
Being likened with some of the greats of the generation brings with it a lot of pressure. "I don't feel any pressure if anyone compares me with Kohli or (Steve) Smith," Babar, however, said. "I am now more focused on my batting and I spend hours watching videos of my innings. I catch my mistakes and then I try to ensure I don't commit them again the next time."
The 25-year-old scored a ton and a 90 odd during the Test series in Australia and then followed that up with another quality hundred in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. "When I got out cheaply to a bad shot in the first innings at Brisbane, I was very cross with myself because I realised no top batman should get out like that. In the following innings I made it a point to be patient and build my innings although playing strokes comes naturally to me," he said.
"Someday I am looking at a triple century. You need to set yourself goals as all top players do. I have set myself the target of becoming consistent in Test cricket as well."
Finally playing in front of the home crowds was a dream fulfilled for Babar, who was always a prolific run-scorer in white-ball cricket but has now also begun showing off his class in the red-ball game.
"We have played T20 and ODI matches in Pakistan but playing a Test is a totally different experience. Scoring a century in front of my home crowd was the icing on the cake for me."
"I was not sure about myself (earlier)," he said over his Test improvement. "But things improved with time. Now I am relishing the challenge of playing red ball cricket. I have learnt the virtues of patience. White ball cricket, I think, comes more naturally for me."
(Inputs from PTI)
