There’s hardly any doubt that Babar Azam is a mighty good player, and perhaps great too, but then his poor 2023 has given enough fodder for his critics, to think otherwise. After a mediocre World Cup 2023, a lot of his fans expected him to improve his batting performances, as he stepped down from the captaincy role, but that hasn’t quite gone in his favour yet. In the second Australia vs Pakistan Test, Babar was out for 41, as his struggle in Australia continued.
In the first innings too, he was dismissed for 1. That means, his Australia campaign has been a total failure. In the first Test at Perth, he returned with scores of 21 & 14. Now for the ones comparing Babar & Virat Kohli, here’s a reality check for them.
Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli
In the seven Tests, and 14 innings Babar has played Down Under, he has only 355 runs at an average of 25, that includes a ton too. On the other hand, Kohli has been a class apart in the nation. In his 13 matches there, he has played 25 innings, and scored 1352 runs, at an average of 54, including six tons.
As far as the overall record of the two is concerned, Kohli has been better again. In the 112 matches, the Indian has 8790, with his average touching 50, with 29 tons. While Babar has been struggling in the longest format, with his average on a constant dip. In 51 Tests, the Pakistani has 3849 runs at an average of 46.37.
Babar in Tests in 2023
The former Pakistan skipper’s Test record this year might just be a reason for concern to many. In the five Tests, he has only 204 runs, at an average of 22. Forget a ton, he doesn’t have a fifty this year as well.
Editors pick
