Can Babar Azam Go Past Virat Kohli In The Coming Years?

The kind of form, consistency, and determination he has showcased, it would not be a surprise if he goes past Kohli in the long run...

- Abhishek Singh

“He has the potential to even beat Virat Kohli,” said Ramiz Raja about a certain Babar Azam, who has completely changed the face of Pakistani batting. Azam has achieved what nobody in Pakistan cricket did in the smallest amount of time that he has spent in International cricket. But can he topple Kohli or get past the records of the Indian captain in terms of batting?

Babar has the highest average in Pakistan cricket of all the batsmen that have made more than 3000 runs in ODIs. And he also has the highest number of hundreds in the same category. With 3359 runs in 74 matches at an incredible average of 54.17, Babar Azam has announced his arrival in the ODI cricket. In Tests though, he still needs to sharpen his skills, more so because he gets fewer opportunities to play Tests than the rest of the Fab-Four players, representing India, England, Australia and New Zealand.

Among the Fab-Four, which includes the likes of the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, Australia’s Steve Smith, and England’s Joe Root, it is Kohli who has personified batting and epitomized success. It, therefore, becomes natural that if an emerging talent like Babar Azam takes the world cricket by storm, he would be compared to the Indian ‘Run Machine’. The comparison becomes even more necessary because of the rivalry that the two neighboring countries share.

But the question remains, will he be able to do go past Kohli? And primarily there are three points which give Babar Azam a chance at achieving the feat.

BABAR’S HUNGER FOR RUNS