Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Zaheer Abbas criticised Babar, suggested dropping him from the team

INDC Network : Cricket : Former Pakistan cricketer and veteran player Zaheer Abbas expressed his displeasure over Babar Azam's recent form and said that it is not fair to compare him with Virat Kohli. Abbas questioned the comparison of Babar and Kohli by cricket fans and pundits, saying that Kohli scores runs in every match, while Babar Azam's recent form is worrying. He stressed that Babar should be dropped from the team due to his poor performance.

Concerns over Babar Azam's recent form
Babar Azam, who is Pakistan's white-ball captain, has been under fire in recent times for his failures in major tournaments. Under his captaincy, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 ODI World Cup and Pakistan also had a very disappointing performance in the 2023 T20 World Cup, where the team was eliminated in the group stage. These failures have raised questions over Babar's batting and leadership abilities.

Babar has recently dropped out of the top 10 in the ICC Test rankings, as he has not scored a single half-century in his last 16 Test innings. He has not been able to play a big innings since his 161-run knock against New Zealand in December 2022. His decline has given rise to a debate among cricket pundits comparing him to Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli's consistency
In contrast, Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been consistently scoring runs for the Indian team. Kohli has shown to be the backbone of the Indian team in both Test and ODI formats. He played a match-winning innings in the T20 World Cup final earlier this year and then announced his retirement from T20 international cricket. Kohli's consistency and match-winning performances have put him far above Babar Azam.

Zaheer Abbas's comment
Zaheer Abbas called it useless to compare Babar Azam with Virat Kohli during the Cricket Predict Conclave. He said, "Comparison is useless. Virat Kohli scores runs in every match, while Babar does not score runs in any match, so how can comparison be made? The one who scores runs is a big player. Babar Azam should be dropped from the team, because if he is not scoring runs and he is our main batsman, then he should be dropped from the team for not being in form."

Praise for Indian team
Abbas also praised the Indian team and said that both the batsmen and bowlers of the team are performing well consistently. He credited captain Rohit Sharma for building a strong and balanced team. Abbas said, "The Indian team is very balanced and their strategy is made thoughtfully. They have a very good captain, who understands the game well. When everything is going right, everything becomes easy, and this is what is happening with India right now."