The debate on who is the better batter between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam has yet again escalated, as the dashing Indian batter has started to rule the field again after struggling for runs for over two years.
Kohli made a stunning comeback in the Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE, where he finished as the second-highest run getter, and since then he has never looked back. The former Indian skipper recently smashed two back-to-back unbeaten fifties to help India continue their winning streak at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
On the other hand, Babar’s struggle with the bat continues as Pakistan is on the verge of being eliminated from the semifinal race if they suffer another defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Well, coming back to the Kohli vs Babar comparison, former Pakistani cricketers Misbah ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, and Waqar Younis have shared their opinion on the debate.
Speaking on Pakistan sports channel A Sports, Misbah ul Haq said: “The biggest difference I can see at the moment is Virat Kohli becomes a different player when he starts facing more and more deliveries. His strike rate only goes up and he becomes a very dangerous player after playing 15-16 balls. Babar Azam needs to do the same thing because we have often seen Babar’s strike rate go down after the first six overs. For a match-winning innings, you need to do it like Virat.”
Meanwhile, Shoaib Malik said on the debate: “The difference between both of the class batters is Virat Kohli knows how to play in pockets. It’s a big difference, Virat only plays his shot where there are no fielders, he won’t look to hit a six where a fielder is standing. It shows he has trained a lot and worked on his shot to execute it to perfection. That’s why his success rate is so high.”
On the other hand, Waqar Younis said: “Playing in the pocket shows that he knows how to play the safe shots. And the biggest difference between them in T20s is Virat is not afraid to use his bottom hand. He is not afraid of going over the top.”
He signed off by saying, “Babar is a classic batsman and looks very elegant while batting but in T20 cricket you need to take the game to the bowler by going over the top. If you are batting at No. 1 or No. 2, you have to take the risk by going over the top and finding the gap otherwise you will play too many dots and put pressure on yourself.”
