Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has said that people should stop comparing ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam with his counterpart Virat Kohli, adding that Babar has never played a match-winning knock
under pressure as the latter did in the 2022 T20 World Cup against Pakistan.
Though Pakistan are still in the T20 World Cup, the team will be weighed down by the heavy loss to India and their lack of competitiveness throughout the game.
While scrutiny will fall on the entire Pakistan team and coaching staff, certain key figures might face more questions than others. Babar, in particular, continues to struggle, managing just five runs off seven deliveries before being bowled after a mistimed hoick off Axar Patel.
“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 such a knock under pressure?” Pathan asked while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“Apart from 2021, when dew played a big role, how many times has Babar absorbed pressure and finished games like that? With three wickets down, he should have batted till the 15th over, focused on singles and doubles and played a long innings,” Pathan said.
Chasing 176, Babar came into the crease with Pakistan at 6/2 in just the second over. When he was dismissed in the fifth over, Pakistan had moved to 34/4.
“Even a strike rate of 120 would have been acceptable given the scoreboard pressure. Instead, he went for a big shot and got out. He can’t clear boundaries at will, nor rotate strike in the middle overs against quality spin when the ball grips,” Pathan said.
“Because of that approach, Pakistan could not even bat the full 20 overs. This was a shameful loss, no doubt about it,” Pathan added.
Babar came into the India match on the back of a good 46-run knock against the USA but was a complete failure against the arch-rivals.
