Amid the ongoing tensions between the cricket boards of India and Pakistan, Pakistan is scheduled to visit India for the 50-over World Cup in October-November this year. Ahead of this prestigious tournament, former Pakistan skipper and Prime Minister Imran Khan praised Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Khan, in a recent interview, stated that Babar has the potential to surpass Virat Kohli in his career. Speaking with a local journalist, Imran highlighted the need for Babar to maintain his batting dominance to surpass Kohli. He believes that Babar belongs to the same class as Kohli and has the ability to achieve greater heights in the future.
Notably, Babar showcased his brilliance in the recent New Zealand series, scoring a century and two half-centuries, amassing 276 runs in the five-match series. While Pakistan won the ODI series 4-1, they were unable to secure the T20I series. However, analyzing the statistics, it is evident that Kohli is currently far ahead of the Pakistan skipper. With 25,322 runs and 75 centuries in 497 games, Kohli has an impressive international record compared to Babar’s 12,270 runs and 30 centuries in 251 matches.
Babar Azam surpassed Kohli to become the fastest player to score 5000 ODI runs
For Babar to surpass Kohli, he must continue his exceptional batting performances for the next 4-5 years. However, Babar has shown tremendous form in recent years, leading the ODI Super League 2020-23 as the highest run-scorer with 1454 runs and six centuries. He also surpassed Kohli as the fastest player to reach 5000 ODI runs. Interestingly, Babar is currently in the United States attending classes at Harvard University, accompanied by wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
Notably, Pakistan’s next officially announced tour is Asia Cup 2023, which will be followed by World Cup 2023, and Pakistan’s Australia tour. On the Australia tour, Pakistan will play three Test matches starting from 14th December at WACA Perth. Meanwhile, the schedule for Asia Cup and World Cup is likely to be announced by the end of this week and Pakistan will square off against India in both of the tournaments.
Here is how fans react to Imran Khan’s comments:
Ya kab kaha imran Khan na ??
— Zubaida Adil (@zubiyaaaaaaa) June 12, 2023
yeh kab hua bruh ?
— maaz (@criclicious) June 12, 2023
No doubt he’s a good batter but please ask him “How to score runs in world cup and asia cup”
— Vipin Tiwari (@vipintiwari952) June 13, 2023
Don't come up with excuses that if babar has played the same number of matches as virat then babar would have better record. Virat in all formats is the greatest, no one comes closer
— faisal afzal (@faisalafzal9) June 12, 2023
Katelle Bulle apni hi tarif karenge kyunki unko pata hai asli studd kaun hai..aa jao pillo October me nanga karenge ..Mauka Mauka 3.0 ho jayega dekhte raho bass
— #CommonMan (@namowani333) June 12, 2023
Bro there is no comparison between Babar and King Kohli ?
Babar at the age of 28 = 28
King Kohli ? at the age of 28 = 52
King Kohli things
— im_______akshat (@AayushPro2) June 14, 2023
Same as pak has same potential compared to india.. looks where is india and Pakistan in world stage in terms of cricket, economy n everything.
— Mayur (@mayurains) June 12, 2023
His biggest achievement is that they compare him with the GOAT ?
— Jay Pathak (@jay_pathak12) June 12, 2023
Apne ko gha*ta furk padta hai ,Pakistani hai apne player ki tarif to karega hi ?
— Be Yours¹? (@_beyours18) June 13, 2023
