‘I feel proud, he’s one of the best’ – Babar Azam reacts to his comparison with Virat Kohli

The Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam debate has been a hot topic of discussion for a while, and many members of the cricket fraternity have presented their opinion on the matter. Kohli and Azam are indeed two of the finest batsmen in the modern era and their records across formats are nothing short of jaw-dropping.

There’s also a lot of similarity in their playing style, which has led to these comparisons. While many experts picked Kohli as a better batsman, some backed Babar to achieve even greater heights than his Indian counterpart.

Now, Azam himself has reacted to the trending topic, and his views are indeed interesting. The Pakistan captain hailed Kohli as one of the finest batsmen going around and even stated that he feels proud of being compared to the talismanic Indian batsman.

When people compare us, I don’t feel pressure: Babar Azam

“Virat Kohli is one of the best players in the world. He has performed everywhere and in big matches. When people compare us, I don’t feel pressure, I feel proud because they are comparing me with such a big player,” Babar told the Khaleej Times.

“Personally, I don’t think there should be a comparison, but people do that and I feel happy. So my aim is to perform the way he does and help my team win matches and make Pakistan proud. Look, we are different players. I have my style of playing and he has his style. So I try to perform to the best of my ability,” he added.

With Babar making his international debut nearly eight years after Kohli, there’s obviously a massive difference in their run tally. However, the Pakistan star has taken giant strides in international cricket and is expected to shatter and make many records.

Earlier this year, the 26-year-old even dethroned Kohli to become the top-ranked ODI batsman. However, he still has a long way to go, and delivering consistently for years would be his biggest challenge.

On the other hand, Kohli is the only current batsman to feature in the top-five rankings of all formats and the 32-year-old would be determined to continue his stellar run.