5 Pakistan batsmen who got compared to Virat Kohli when they were in their prime

Azhar Ali

Azhar Ali may not be the most accomplished batsman of Pakistan cricket but he is one of the few players who is always ready to grind it out for the team. In this decade Ali’s contributions have been a constant factor whenever the team has won a Test match. His Test average of 43 while opening the innings in red-ball cricket is praiseworthy.

The right-hander enjoyed a dream run in 2016. Thereafter he continued his form in the early part of 2017 and generated some jaw-dropping numbers in the space of 15 months. Such was his dominance that a couple of cricket following websites made an interesting analogy between him and Virat Kohli. At that time Kohli bossed the red-ball arena with his double hundreds.

Still, Azhar toppled him in terms of run-scoring as he gathered around 1,538 runs in 15 Test matches compared to Kohli’s 1503 runs in 16 games. Though the fans never engaged in a battle it was a period where the Pakistan cricketer was hitting the right notes. After that Ali’s form dipped but the Indian skipper has gone from strength to strength. Right now he is on a mission to add another glorious year to his Test career. He has scored more than 1,000 runs in each of the last 3 years.

These Pakistan cricketers have been compared with Virat Kohli in terms of consistency and class but they forgot that there is only one who can emulate him and it is Kohli himself.