Virat Kohli and Babar Azam came face to face for approximately ten seconds in Dubai on Wednesday evening. Just moments after the Indian team arrived at the nets for their first training session ahead of the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Pakistan were also training at the same venue – the two players shook hands and exchanged smiles. Neither seemed to utter a word, but the respect that they held each other in came through in
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam came face to face for approximately ten seconds in Dubai on Wednesday evening. Just moments after the Indian team arrived at the nets for their first training session ahead of the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Pakistan were also training at the same venue – the two players shook hands and exchanged smiles. Neither seemed to utter a word, but the respect that they held each other in came through in that fleeting exchange.
Beyond the beards that they sport, they have a lot else in common. Both are batting bulwarks who know what it takes to carry the responsibility of scoring a bulk of their team’s runs. Both also know what it takes to exhibit all-format dominance at a time when each format demands a very different skillset.
Yes, Kohli may be in a prolonged rut. He may not have scored a century since November 2019. His T20 strike rate may have fallen below the ever-changing requirements of the shortest format. But none of it can take away from the supremacy that Kohli displayed from December 2014 to November 2019. The format could be Test, ODI or T20I. The ball could be red, white or pink – his last ton did come in India’s first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh. The surface could be fast and bouncy or low and spin-conducive. Pretty much nothing came in the way of King Kohli vanquishing his adversaries.
The numbers offer compelling evidence. During that five-year period, he scored 5,347 runs in 55 Tests at an average of 63.65, 5,312 runs in 93 ODIs at 72.76 and 1,478 runs in 44 T20Is at 52.78. Even though his imperial touch has deserted him of late, his overall record remains ridiculously good – 8,074 runs in 102 Tests at 49.53, 12,344 runs in 262 ODIs at 57.68 and 3,308 runs in 99 T20Is at 50.12.
These are numbers that any batter worth his salt will strive to emulate. Azam acknowledges the lofty standards set by Kohli across formats, which is why he offered his support to the beleaguered former India captain last month. “I just feel that in the present situation Kohli needs support and to be backed. I tweeted wishing him the best because I know how a player feels when he is going through this period and he needs the support of everyone,” Azam had said at a press conference ahead of Pakistan’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.
Like Kohli in his prime, the 27-year-old from Lahore is very much in that phase across formats where he cannot put a foot wrong. He hasn't done it for as long as Kohli did but an average of 47.30 in 42 Tests, 59.79 in 92 ODIs and 45.52 in 74 T20Is suggests that he is approaching Kohli territory. The Pakistan captain is third in the Test rankings for batsmen and ranked No 1 in both ODIs and T20Is – he’s the only one to feature in the top-10 across all three formats right now.
At the same time, confining Azam or Kohli to mere numbers would be doing them a disservice. Their game is as much about the exquisite cover drives, the wristy flicks and the manner in which they compile these scores as the runs themselves.
“Babar is undoubtedly a very gifted batter. He reminds me so much of Kohli, when he started achieving great performances for India. He was a complete batter in all formats,” former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal told HT. “Babar has definitely made a name for himself. By the talent he has shown and his performances in all the three formats, Babar surely is among the top three batters in the world.”
Much like Kohli, Azam’s promise as an international cricketer was initially on view in the shorter formats. His first Test century, in fact, came in his 32nd innings. It was against New Zealand in Dubai in November 2018, but Azam reckons that the turning point arrived in Centurion in South Africa a month later. Against an attack including Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada, Azam struck an eye-catching 71 off 79 balls in an innings studded with 15 fours.
“I needed that one innings in Tests. I was making a lot of mistakes early on. After the innings in South Africa, I realised how I needed to play in Tests. I figured what my batting style is. My mindset is to take a bit of time at the crease. Set hone ke baad, main apne tareeke se game chalaunga (Once I am set, I will play the game my way),” Azam told Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) YouTube channel in a conversation last year.
Azam will know that he needs to sustain these standards for the next few years to match the impact that Kohli has had for India. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram summed it up aptly during an Asia Cup press conference earlier this week. “Comparing him with Kohli at this stage is too early. But he is absolutely on the right track to be one of the modern greats,” he said.
What Azam will also know from Kohli’s example is that a lean phase can always be around the corner. If he can guard against that, Akram’s belief that Azam is on the right track will be vindicated.
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