Unfair to compare Babar Azam and Virat Kohli: Younis Khan

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan cricketer, has talked about the constant comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Even as Virat is into his 30s and has taken apart a number of records, Babar has come up the ranks and is rated amongst the best. Younis, who played 408 matches for Pakistan, said that the Delhi-born Kohli has tasted success in most conditions through grit and determination.

Kohli currently has 70 tons at the highest level, third only to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. He is also well on his way to surpass the Master Blaster’s tally of 49 ODI centuries. Virat is currently the only batsman with an average in excess of 50 in all the three formats of the game.

Younis Khan opines  

“You see, Kohli – who is now 31 and at the peak of his career – has been in international cricket for over a decade now and has proved himself in all conditions. The 70 international centuries that he has scored is a testimony to his class and abilities,” Younis was quoted as saying in Gulf News.

Babar, on the contrary, doesn’t have the worst of numbers by any stretch of the imagination. In his initial years, he dominated ODI and T20I cricket. However, in the last few months, he has found his feet even in Test cricket. The 42-year-old Younis was of the opinion that Babar should be compared later when he reaches Kohli’s age currently.

“Babar, on the other hand, has made his international debut barely five years back. He already has 16 centuries under his belt and shows very good averages in both Tests and ODIs, but it will be unfair to start comparing the two right now. If you have to, compare Babar five years hence with the dominance that Kohli is showing in his game today,” he added.

Babar is presently the number-one ranked batsman in T20I cricket. Recently, he was also appointed the ODI captain after being given the mantle in T20Is from the Australia tour last year. The 25-year-old Lahore, Punjab-born was also promoted to Category A in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) centrally contracted players. He is also Pakistan’s most dependable all-format batter.