IND vs PAK:  "It Can Be A Little Unfair" - Sanjay Manjrekar On Ongoing Debate Between Virat Kohli And Babar Azam

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar drew parallels between modern-day greats Virat Kohli and Babar Azam ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that the comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam can sometimes be a bit unfair.

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are regarded as the top batters across the formats of modern-day cricket. They are the finest batters for their respective nations at the moment. There is a long-standing debate within the cricketing circles regarding who is the superior batter.

They Maintain That Standard – Sanjay Manjrekar

Speaking to Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that Virat Kohli has represented the Indian team for over 15 years, while Babar Azam is a rising star at the moment.

“Absolutely, and we can expect that to happen again,”Manjrekar told Star Sports.

“Just one thing that you know people like Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have had to deal with that they’ve had long careers and they sort of have spanned over 10 15 years and anytime there’s been a rising star, he’s been compared to a guy who’s been in the race for a long time.”

“So sometimes it can be a little unfair but the greatness of these two guys is that they maintain that standard that the best performance of a rising player is equated with it,” he added.

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are set to play against each other in the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup. The Rohit Sharma-led team will face the Men in Green at the Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday, September 2.

Both Very Good Players – Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar feels the upcoming Asia Cup could provide an opportunity for Babar Azam to showcase his talent and make his mark alongside Virat Kohli.

“Yes, both very good players. One obviously in his prime younger but coming to these kind of platform we want to say Virat Kohli and see with the format that we have here not the T20 format, Asia Cup this time round you might just see a bit Babar Azam and maybe show his place as well,” he concluded.

India will take on Pakistan in the much-awaited ODI World Cup 2023 at the world’s largest stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.

Also read: IND vs PAK: “Babar Azam Does Remind Me Very Much Of Virat Kohli, The Way He Goes About His Business” – Tom Moody