Mohammed Azharuddin puts an end to Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam debate with clear answer

Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin has revealed his thoughts on the much-debated comparison between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. The 59-year-old had his say on the topic during a conversation with Cricket Pakistan, on the sidelines of the International League T20 in UAE. Virat and Babar are two of the marquee players for their respective teams and have been repeatedly compared to each other for years now.

On being asked to comment on the Virat vs Babar, the former India captain shed his thoughts on the 34-year-old saying, “Kohli is an experienced campaigner. His stats are huge. I feel it is always difficult to compare two players, but these are two very different players. But if you see, Kohli is slightly better.”

Mohammed Azharuddin reveals thoughts on Babar Azam

On the other hand, speaking about the Pakistan captain, Azharuddin said, “Babar is a very nice guy. I have always had good conversations with him. I am not sure about kinship since he is much younger to me, but there is respect. There is always respect”.

“No surprise that he is playing like this in all formats of the game”

In the meantime, the former India captain also recalled a moment, when he met the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain. “He was always keen to learn. He spoke to me after our game in the 2019 World Cup. I have always said he is keen to learn, and there’s no surprise that he is playing like this in all formats of the game. He is obviously a very talented player,” he said.

Virat Kohli has hit 24936 runs across formats since making his international debut in 2008. He is the second-highest century scorer in international cricket with 79 hundred and has also amassed 129 fifties. On the other hand, Babar Azam has scored 11864 runs in his career with the help of 28 hundreds and 80 half-centuries.

It is pertinent to mention that Babar currently sits at the top of the ICC Men’s ODI players rankings with 887 points. Kohli made a thumping return to form during the Asia Cup 2022 with his 71 international century and has smashed three centuries in nine games since then. Kohli sits seventh in the ODI batter rankings with 727 points.