"No Comparisons, Want To Get Where Virat Kohli Is Today," Says Babar Azam
Photo: AFP

Pakistan batsman Babar Azam has once again downplayed comparisons with Indian skipper Virat Kohli but has said that he wants to be at the place where Kohli is today. Right since his debut, Azam has been drawing comparisons with the star batsman and has impressed in his career so far.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Asks For Change In KKR’s Captaincy, Backs Shubman Gill

“Look he (Kohli) has already achieved a lot. He is a legend in his country. Honestly there is no comparison with me right now but eventually I also want to get where he is today,” Babar was quoted as saying by PTI.

“The media and people have drawn comparisons between me and Virat Kohli but I realise that I still need to get more runs in red ball cricket to be ranked among the top players. That is why in recent months I have been focusing a lot on getting consistent scores in Test matches,” he added.

Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli, ICC Test Rankings
Babar Azam (Credits: Twitter)

The right-handed batsman recently shone in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka, scoring his third Test century. He touched the three-figure mark in the final few minutes of the fifth day to score a century in his first Test at home. Babar, who has 3359 runs in ODIs, has been the go-to man for Pakistan in ODI cricket but is still work-in-progress in Tests.

Read More  Former Indian chief selector taken aback by Virat Kohli

Also Read: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis Might Fail To Get The Nod For India Tour

He did score a century in Australia but his form in the ongoing ICC Test Championship will determine whether he able to live up to the promise. Babar has a tough start to his Test career but has done well so far.

Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Babar Azam. Credit: Getty Images

His form in white-ball cricket has already seen him take over as Pakistan’s T20I captain. He was first named Sarfaraz Ahmed’s deputy for the home T20I series against Sri Lanka and when the selectors dropped him for the Australia series, Babar took over as captain. He will be leading Pakistan in the next T20 World Cup.

Babar, like Kohli, first shone in U-19 cricket. Under him, Pakistan made it to the semi-final on the junior World Cup back in 2012. Although Babar took his time and only made it to the national team three years later. Now, he is regarded as one of the finest players across formats.

In 24 Tests, he has 1547 runs while in 36 T20Is, Babar has scored 1405 runs at 50.17.