Pathan drew attention to Kohli’s history of performing under pressure and wondered whether Babar has produced similar innings on the biggest stage.
“And please stop comparing Babar Azam with Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli is in a different league. Look at his innings against Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup, has Babar ever played under pressure like that? How many times, apart from 2021 when dew played a big role, has Babar absorbed the pressure and finished such games?” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan further analyzed Babar’s dismissal in the Colombo clash when he was bowled by Axar Patel as he tried to slog the left-arm spinner. Irfan suggested that the former Pakistan captain had not interpreted the match situation correctly. With the wickets already down, the Baroda natives felt Babar should take responsibility and bat deeper into the innings instead of opting for risky shot selection.
“With three wickets down, he should have batted till the 15th, concentrated on singles and doubles, and played a long innings. Even a strike rate of 120 would have been acceptable given the pressure on the scoreboard. Instead, he went for a big shot and got out. He does not consistently have the ability to push boundaries at will, nor to rotate the strike freely in the middle overs against quality spin when the ball grabs,” he added.
The former all-rounder did not hold back in assessing the wider issues in Pakistan’s batting unit, pointing to a lack of clarity and depth that has hurt them in high-pressure matches. The cricketer turned commentator also questioned the overall strength of Pakistan’s batting line-up, especially when compared to their bowling resources.
“Because of that approach, Pakistan couldn’t even bat for the full 20 overs. This was undoubtedly an embarrassing defeat. Once India reached 175, the match was practically over as Pakistan’s batting simply wasn’t strong enough. I had said before the match that people are praising Pakistan’s bowling this time, but what about their batting? Their batting lacks depth and approach,” he mused.
Babar‘s dismissal once again highlighted his continued struggle against India in the T20I format. Since his 68th in the 2021 T20 World Cup, in which the Men in Green recorded their only T20 World Cup win against India, the former Pakistan captain has managed scores of 10, 14, 0, 13 and 5 against the arch-rivals.
In six matches against India in T20Is, Babar has amassed just 110 runs at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 123.59, figures that underline the growing contrast in the impact of big games between the two batters. While Babar Azam currently has the most runs in T20Is, with 4,571 runs at an average of 39.06 in 135 innings and a strike rate of 128, his impact at the top order in high-pressure matches is still a matter of debate.
Kohli’s performances against Pakistan and in global tournaments, on the other hand, continue to underline his reputation as one of the game’s modern greats. The former India captain has appeared in 125 T20 Internationals and scored 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137. He has won the Player of the Tournament award twice at the T20 World Cup, in 2014 and 2016.
Against Pakistan, Kohli has produced a series of decisive goals on the biggest occasions, including the iconic 82 in Melbourne in 2022, 78 in 2012, 55* in the 2016 edition and 49 in the 2016 Asia Cup.
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