Amid Pakistan star batter Babar Azam’s ongoing century drought and dip in form, former cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has pointed to the burden of constant comparisons with India’s batting icon Virat Kohli as a key factor affecting his performances.
Shehzad, who has earlier been vocal about his concerns over Babar’s leadership and individual displays for Pakistan, believes that such parallels not only create unnecessary pressure but can also weigh heavily on a player’s confidence and mindset.
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“When everything was going well, you were running campaigns comparing players. Now that the performances are not coming, you are saying, ‘Don’t compare two players. ’ Why not? Virat Kohli’s comparison cannot be made with anyone in the world. He is a legend of this generation, a role model," Shehzad said in an interview.
“You cannot compare him even with MS Dhoni. Dhoni may have been a great captain, but as a batter, cricketer, and athlete, Kohli stands alone. No one should be compared with anyone because it’s unfair and it adds extra pressure, which we are now seeing on Babar Azam," he added.
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Between June 2019 and August 2023, Babar's performances consistently surpassed previous records, solidifying his status as the nation's next major star. Soon after, he started to be compared to the then-beleaguered Indian batsman, Virat Kohli.
Some of their nation's ardent supporters and journalists publicly declared that Babar was far superior to Kohli.
After being compared to Kohli, he was inevitably subjected to the same scrutiny and pressure, even though this wasn't his fault. Since Babar Azam hasn't struck a century in any format in 72 innings, it should be mentioned that his supporters have been constantly criticizing him.
His last century came against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup. Since then, he has played 64 innings, hitting 18 half-centuries but averaging only 31.45. In their crushing 2-1 ODI series defeat to the West Indies, he managed scores of 47, 0, and 9.
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