Babar Azam, known for his elegance with the bat and reputed as one of the finest batters of his generation, currently captains Peshawar Zalmi in the 2026 Pakistan Super League. Apart from his performances on the field, this time he gained the spotlight for a fiery exchange with a journalist off the field, when the scribe Virat Kohli, the man Babar is often compared with. PES, under Babar, have enjoyed a perfect start, remaining unbeaten in the first three matches of the ongoing season. Last night on Wednesday, Zalmi secured a last-ball win against Hyderabad Kingsmen, who batted first and posted a total of just 146 runs. Even though the target did not seem intimidating on paper, PES’s batters failed to build on a comfortable partnership to seal what should have been a straightforward chase.
The charge was led by Babar, who scored 47 off 37 balls, managing six fours along the way. Despite being well set in the middle, he once again failed to capitalise on a promising start and guide his team through to the end of the chase. Babar’s form and strike rate in white-ball cricket have already been questioned, and this time it led a journalist to compare his inability to finish games to that of his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli. The two have often been compared based on their batting abilities and capacity to finish matches in crunch moments for their respective national teams.
Babar was quick to defend the remarks, shunning them as “misconception” and stated that he has often finished matches for his team on several occasions, while speaking during the post-match press conference.
{{/usCountry}}Babar was quick to defend the remarks, shunning them as “misconception” and stated that he has often finished matches for his team on several occasions, while speaking during the post-match press conference.
{{/usCountry}}As posted on X, the journalist asked, “Virat Kohli comes with the same shots in the game as you, but he finishes the match, which you lack. People compare him to you. What are your views on the comparison?”
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Babar did not even wait for the question to get over, and fired back saying, “Let these things to yourself. End the comparison and carry on. It's your misconception that I have not finished matches.”
Unfair to target Babar over strike-rate
While today’s game is dominated by stats, reducing Babar’s game solely to his finishing overlooks his broader impact. Over the last decade, despite constant criticism in the shortest format of the game, he has been Pakistan’s most consistent and leading run-scorer, with over 4500 runs in 145 T20I matches. Despite a relatively modest strike rate of around 128, his ability to anchor the innings in the middle overs cannot be questioned, averaging close to 39.
Babar, who is also the leading run-scorer in PSL’s history with over 3800 runs, has had a decent start to this season with 82 runs in two innings played. A player of his calibre would be keen to change the narrative this season, not just with words off the pitch, but by letting his bat do the talking.