The former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has brushed aside the comparisons made between India’s star batsman Virat Kohli and Pakistan’s Babar Azam. According to Akmal, there is no comparison, simply put, for Kohli is in a league of his own. Akmal did call out social media users for their knowledge-free comparisons, calling them “foolish.” Kohli has hit a rough patch, and so has Babar. But Akmal neither put these two players on a pedestal, for he himself figures Kohli to be a completely alien species performing exceedingly well over the years.
“Bewakoof log hai. Virat Kohli is such a big player. He has been a role model globally. He has played with such passion that such players come very rarely. He has set such a high benchmark for himself. So here again, there is no comparison,” said Akmal, in a Hindustan Times report.
On Babar’s recent run of bad form, Akmal said he feels his cousin will come back into form during the Champions Trophy, to be hosted by Pakistan, barring of course his matches against India. Akmal said the whole country is rooting for Babar to make the 20th century, a feat achieved by as few as one player from Pakistan (Saeed Anwar) previous to him.
“Virat is such a big player, but in the last few years, he too has also been struggling for runs. He has just 3 Test tons in the last five years, Babar is also there, he has just to follow the process. The entire country is waiting for his 20th ODI ton. Maybe he gets back among the runs in the Champions Trophy. We want him to finish with 30-plus ODI centuries,” he said.
Before the start of the opening match of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand, Babar spoke of his determination to take the team to yet another achievement this time in front of their fervent crowd support.
“I am very excited,” Babar was quoted as saying by ICC. “We are going to have an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a very long time. As a player, I am putting more into this, and all the fans are excited.”
“When you have responsibility as a senior player and the team relies on you, I take it in a positive way,” Babar said. “I try to give my best in every match so that Pakistan wins, and I enjoy my cricket.”
“There is no pressure of anything. What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed our mistakes and worked on them, and we will try not to repeat them,” he added.
Kohli’s record, however, speaks for itself. He also has, to his credit, 50 ODI hundreds, which none has accomplished so far.
