Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stirred the hornet’s nest with his take on the debate involving star Pakistani batter Babar Azam and Indian cricket great Virat Kohli. Speaking on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, Ashwin stated that people “should not mention” Babar Azam in the same line as Kohli, giving an edge to his Indian counterpart in the long-standing comparison between the two batting greats.
Ashwin termed Babar an excellent player but also made it a point to mention that the feats. And credentials of Virat Kohli are a notch above. “If he is given a chance, Babar will score runs. He has class, but I feel we should end this debate once and for all,” Ashwin said. He further added, “Babar Azam and Virat Kohli shouldn’t be mentioned in the same line. Kohli’s record is something else.”
By consensus, people are touting Kohli as one of the greatest cricketers this generation has ever seen. The career record that he has kept for himself across all formats is just exemplary. This 35-year-old has scored 27,041 runs in 535 international matches at an average of 53.23. He has scored 80 centuries and 140 fifties, with a highest score of 254. Also he has led India to several titles: the ICC U19 World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy, and T20 World Cup. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer of all time across all formats.
On the other hand, Babar Azam started his international cricket in 2015 and is still growing in his career. The 294 games he has played so far have seen him score 13,836 runs at an average of 47.54, with 31 centuries and 94 fifties. His highest score is 196. As great a player as he is, Babar’s stats are nowhere near Kohli. The best format for Babar, ODI Cricket, he has scored 5729 runs in 117 matches at an average of 56.72 with 19 centuries and 32 fifties.
However, Babar has not been in the best form in Test cricket. Ahead of the second Test against England, the team decided to rest Babar for the remaining two matches. Along with pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. In the first Test, Babar scored only 30 and 5. His last 50-plus score in Test cricket came in December 2022. And in his last 17 Test innings, he averages just 20.70.
While Ashwin acknowledged the talent of Babar, he made sure that Kohli’s legacy and records stand tall.
ANI
