Justin Langer disrespects Virat Kohli, claims Babar Azam has the best cover drive

At the start of the BBL season, Justin Langer made an audacious comment on the Pakistani batter Babar Azam, who made his debut in the Big Bash League for the Sydney Sixers in the very first game of the season. The former Australian coach claimed that Babar Azam has the finest cover drive in the world of cricket, discrediting the Indian veteran Virat Kohli.

The Big Bash League has returned, and all eight teams are ready with their newest bunch of cricketers to get their hands on that one trophy. The Sydney Sixers and the Perth Scorchers, two of the most successful teams in the history of the BBL, clash against each other in the BBL opener.

Several Pakistani players have been cleared by the PCB for participation in the Big Bash League; consequently, this move was planned to give them more of a chance to play with international stars ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Babar Azam, the veteran from Pakistan, has made his debut in the BBL this season.

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"Babar Azam has the best cover drive in the world" - Justin Langer sidelines Virat Kohli

The Sydney Sixers kick off the 15th season of the Big Bash League at the Optus Stadium in Perth, and they have named the Pakistan veteran Babar Azam in the XI.

The Sydney Sixers picked out the former Pakistan captain despite his awful form in the shortest format of the game. He returned to the Pakistan limited-overs side in the series against South Africa and had some numbers in his favour over the two home series, one against the Proteas and the other against Sri Lanka.

As Babar Azam took the field, Justin Langer, the former Australian head coach, claimed he possesses the best 'cover drive' in modern-day cricket. This seemed to be an outrageous claim, as dismissing Indian veteran Virat Kohli's cover drive as the finest ever is surely a thing to do.

Justin Langer said, "Babar Azam has the best cover drive in the world." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AMJSboscUP

— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) December 14, 2025

Justin Langer claimed Babar has always been a tough nut to crack

Justin Langer was the head coach of the Australian national team for a long time, and according to him, in his coaching days, when Australia played a lot against Pakistan, Babar was always a batter worth watching out for.

Though he has not been carrying his prime form over the last 3 years, Babar Azam can undoubtedly be said to be one of Pakistan's finest batters of this decade. Not only does he have records or the knack of winning games for Pakistan, but Babar is a role model for copybook cricketing shots in Pakistan.

Justin Langer said, "When I was the coach of Australia, we played against Pakistan a lot. Babar was the one player who, as a coach, you needed to see back off."

Babar Azam fails on BBL debut

However, coming into Australia and carrying that similar amount of form in completely variant conditions was never going to be easy. Yet he was named in the starting XI in the very first game, which shows that the Sydney Sixers have very high hopes for the Pakistan veteran.

Babar never looked settled on the pitch, which was bouncing thrice more than it does back on his home tracks. The ball landed on a hard length by Brody Couch as he attacked the ribs, and Azam attempted to slap it over the bowler's head. The ball looped up, and mid-on did the rest.

A very disappointing start for the Pakistani great and for the Sydney Sixers as well. With Babar's dismissal for just 2 runs, the Sydney Sixers continued to lose early wickets, and the entire top order was back into the dugout within the powerplay.

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