Babar Azam's power-hitting capability?

[Humza_Razzaque]

It is quite evident by now that he struggles at Powerhitting even Hassan can smack the ball harder than him. forsure at the moment he has poor powerhitting skills but cant they be developed into him?i mean He is still pretty young and also a very hardworking lad given that he has been scoring alot of runs its certainly not easy to consistantly score runs.If hassan can come in 8 and smack one out of the ground why cant he? He has got a long career to go looking at this great prospect i wonder how hard can it be for him to develop powerhitting skills?

 

[Railu Katta]

He doesn't have a power hitting ability /Thread.

 

[Rana]

He may end up like Misbah, shunned for T20is even with a healthy average. Misbah could still launch spinners for randomn sixes though

 

[Humza_Razzaque]

He may end up like Misbah, shunned for T20is even with a healthy average. Misbah could still launch spinners for randomn sixes though

But we dont want another misbah we want better, i feel if he can improve on his powerhitting skills he can become arguably the best in the world in years to come He is rich in talent and even richer in dedication
Just doesnt have that aggression i doubt if he even belongs to the akmal family

 

[CricFan2012]

needs to stop playing t20s, will still be great in ODIs for us because he can strike at 90, 100 if needed, and with our bowling attack we will rarely chase in excess of 300.

 

[babajee]

He has good hitting technique it’s just he plays proper cricket shots and not wild slogs like his cousin.

T20 probably doesn’t suit his natural game but as we saw vs World XI he does have the ability to play at a 150SR which is perfect for him.

 

[IMMY69]

I think Babar is one of the biggest hitters of a cricket ball in world cricket it is just that he chooses not to hit sixes.

 

[vagabond007ti]

I think Babar is one of the biggest hitters of a cricket ball in world cricket it is just that he chooses not to hit sixes.

I am faster than Usain Bolt in running, it is just that I choose not to run at all !!

 

[Asif khan]

I said last year he looked simialr to Jayawardene to me and I still think that to be the case. He is an excellent technician who will eventually find a way to succeed in tests too.

I'm not sure if he can really develop a power game but then Root batted like a tortoise when he first came and now look at him go.

In time and if he has the determination and work ethic to develop a way to strike boundaries then he sure will find a way.

 

[Sirris]

This is one of his shortcomings, no doubt. Now it's up to him to overcome them and prove that he is a but special than all the other "talented" batsmen we have had over the years.

 

[AAli98]

Once his got his hundred you just know the next ball going straight up in the air.. cannot get into next gear (needs a hitter at the other end). Suppose getting a hundred is a good habit.

 

[Kroll]

Doesn't have it, best thing would be to get him out of the t20 team to avoid burn out.

 

[Sirris]

Doesn't have it, best thing would be to get him out of the t20 team to avoid burn out.

It would also send a clear message to him that he is not good enough for t20 yet. There are no guaranteed selections.

 

[coy0607]

he has none- absolutely can't slog

but thats okay, just means he needs to be used carefully. Sending him at no. 3 after 10 overs in T20 isn't a good idea

 

[IMMY69]

I am faster than Usain Bolt in running, it is just that I choose not to run at all !!

If what you say is true then that makes two of us..

 

[pkwdpassion]

Babar Azam initially scored more quickly and maintained a good strike rate sometimes going above 100 in 2016. Which is why his strike rate is still in 80s. He also played more scoring shots and hit sixes.

Since Sarfraz became ODI captain (in Apr 2017) his strike rate has come down to 60s, there are more not outs (to keep a good average) less scoring shots, zero sixes in last 5 innings. He now only rotates the strike just to get to his 100 playing 120-130+ balls (almost half the innings). Reason could be he feels safe and irreplaceable, therefore more selfish when it comes to improving his personal average whereas team suffers and falls 20-30 runs short. In CT final also he knocked the ball around and placed extra pressure on Fakhar Zaman to go after bowlers. He has been continuing his selfish game.

 

[babajee]

[MENTION=143023]SarfiBabarHaris[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

 

[Hasan123]

One area that he needs to improve . Also would like to see him improve versus spin. Needs to bat at a a strike rate of about 90 , rest of the team should aim to bat around him.

 

[Jabo]

NONE

reason why he should be an opener only in T20 games

 

[MMHS]

[MENTION=143023]SarfiBabarHaris[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

He is playing fine, absolutely perfect, in fact it can't be better - then it might end too good. He plays for a side, that failed to play out 50 overs BATTING FIRST more times than not between 2009 to 2014 (roughly past 5 years of his debut).

The problem is batsman around him - 55/85 is more than acceptable for a No. 3. After all these, Kohli has stats probably around 55/93, and that has a major contribution from playing big innings on 350+ par grounds. 6 of Babar's 7 centuries are in UAE or WI - you can add 20-25% additional SR with each of those if the match was played in most ground of IND, NZ, BD, SAF or UK - factor that, his career SR would have been 90+ now. UAE grounds are worst for his type - dead slow pitch & outfield but long boundary; even Fahim's flick would have landed in crowd anywhere in most South Asian grounds. Babar has few areas of improvement - that's acceleration in 4th quarter (between 75 to 100) and spin play, otherwise perfect 10.

Solution is simple - ask your selectors, manager, coach and captain to stop friends & family serving and bring some firepower and proper all-round batsmen around to utilize wonderful consistent batting of Babar, everything will be fine. Ahmed, Azhar, Imam, MoHa, Sarfraz, Imad batting around Babar from No. 1 to 7 and we are talking about his power hitting ..... give me a break; even Fakhar swings lot like mad max for an impression of a blaster for lot less output.

Don't fix things when it's not broken.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

[MENTION=143023]SarfiBabarHaris[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION]

He needs work on his power hitting for t20s.. In odis he is doing fine with the role being assigned to him. I think he can hit sixes comfortably with some work and can match the level of Yousuf who was not that bad at hitting (when required). The other way is to play cheeky shots like Gunaratne or AB De Villiers but i don't want him to do that.

 

[kingusama92]

Babar Azam initially scored more quickly and maintained a good strike rate sometimes going above 100 in 2016. Which is why his strike rate is still in 80s. He also played more scoring shots and hit sixes.

Since Sarfraz became ODI captain (in Apr 2017) his strike rate has come down to 60s, there are more not outs (to keep a good average) less scoring shots, zero sixes in last 5 innings. He now only rotates the strike just to get to his 100 playing 120-130+ balls (almost half the innings). Reason could be he feels safe and irreplaceable, therefore more selfish when it comes to improving his personal average whereas team suffers and falls 20-30 runs short. In CT final also he knocked the ball around and placed extra pressure on Fakhar Zaman to go after bowlers. He has been continuing his selfish game.

Interesting take.

You were on the right track but let your bias get in the way near the end.

Indeed, a change has come in his batting approach post-Sarfraz. This is a valid point but it's not due to selfishness but rather a shift in strategy by Mickey+Sarfraz. They're telling him to anchor down and play the singles while other batsmen hit around him.

It's quite apparent that's been their strategy from the beginning and it's worked like a charm. They won the CT and swept aside SL.

You need to know your players and their strengths. Mickey+Sarfraz have realized Babar accumulates runs better than almost anyone else on the planet.

 

[superman]

Sometimes people forget that we had to endure years of younis khan and asad technique and tuk tuk. Stop complaining. OP im sure if he sorted out his diet and physique so had more muscle that would help

 

[Madplayer]

I think he needs more muscle. He is so slight.

 

[Khan babu]

it's just one year of play for babar and he shows all the world about his capability and achieved more things then any other batsmen around him could. give him time. he will show the world about his power hitting skills, now this time no need of hitting when u consistently scoring single,dubls and converting them in to big ones, the team is now on winning track and ranking is improving

 

[msb314]

It is not about muscle or power but pure timing - esp on flat pitches that are dished out nowadays.

Folks like Maxwell, Kohli, Dhawan, Butler, Morgan etc. are not huge muscly people but are lean and rely on good strokes, improvisation and timing to accelerate.

Babar just needs to express himself more and come out of his shell in the latter stages of his innings. Maybe add more strokes to his repertoire such as the reverse sweep, scoop, late cut, cross batted pull down the ground etc.

 

[Humza_Razzaque]

Sometimes people forget that we had to endure years of useless khan and asad technique and tuk tuk. Stop complaining. OP im sure if he sorted out his diet and physique so had more muscle that would help

When did i complain ,he is a very talented player all i am saying is that he should develop powerhitting abilities so that he can deliver when required you cant go around inT20s playing like you do in ODIs you just have to show aggression which he lacks,This is Pakistan batting we are talking about it takes seconds to collapse if it gets to a situation that he has to bat with tailenders he will need this ability to post a respectable total. even in the last match against sirilanka in a situation where we needed boundries he wad taking singles ,even he himself doesnt trust in his powerhitting abilities. I NEVER COMPLAINED READ THE THREAD CAREFULLY BEFORE POSTING

 

[Hedz]

I would let him continue to play as he is for the meanwhile. However come PSL 3, Mickey Arthur should begin to focus on power hitting with Babar Azam, so he is capable of big hits during crucial stages I.e. power play overs/ death overs.
As he opens for Karachi Kings, Mickey Arthur should send him out with an ideal target of what SR he should be scoring at and should aim to hit atleast 1/2 sixes. Working like this slowly but surely he will no doubt improve his six hitting ability. If this does take place, come PSL 4, he will be more capable of hitting boundaries.

 

[MRSN]

I am faster than Usain Bolt in running, it is just that I choose not to run at all !!

)

This 3rd T20 has exposed Baber's so called power hitting game. I have said it before he is an inferior version of Virat Kohli. The lack of power hitting makes him an inferior player compare to him. Kohli could still launch flat sixes standing still in his crease. Doubt Baber could do that.

 

[Abdullah719]

)

This 3rd T20 has exposed Baber's so called power hitting game. I have said it before he is an inferior version of Virat Kohli. The lack of power hitting makes him an inferior player compare to him. Kohli could still launch flat sixes standing still in his crease. Doubt Baber could do that.

At which stage of his career? If you're comparing current Kohli with Babar then that is obviously a pointless endeavour.

 

[Bilal7]

He's great the way he is. Only thing he needs to focus on is test match batting. Being able to hit sixes is not a requirement for one to be a world class top-order batsman.

 

[ExpressPacer]

At which stage of his career? If you're comparing current Kohli with Babar then that is obviously a pointless endeavour.

EXACTLY. At the same point in their careers, Babar has a better SR, more hundreds, higher average and FAR more sixes.

 

[pkwdpassion]

[MENTION=8597]kingusama92[/MENTION]

Rofl
IT was Pakistan's bowling [and captain strangulating opposition in middle overs, youngsters fielding] that won Pakistan Champions Trophy.
Don't think so, I personally dislike anyone, or else I can explain in much detail with different stats how Azam limits Pakistan's scoring.
In today's era, Mickey or Sarfaraz would never advise Azam to reduce his strike rate to become another accumulator[anchor] in a poor batting side where there is only Fakhar Zaman who has a healthy strike rate, such an advise can only come from his cousins Akmal brothers or chief selector Inzi.
If Azam would've scored faster Arthur-Sarfraz would not need to play an extra batter for pinch-hitting.

Sarfaraz himself has better strike rate(88-89) than Azam even though he does'nt get as many opportunities to bat
'Anchor' Babar Azam average in Champions Trophy was 26.33 with a strike-rate of 70-odd. Off the 46 he made in the final, he played 16 dot-balls against a bowling where a debut making Fakhar Zaman was hitting scoring shots all over the ground. Fakhar Zaman played 10 dot balls mostly in Pandya over or the JAdeja over just after Azhar Ali got out he played only one dot ball inbetween and made 44 off 24 balls. This innings helped Pakistan to attain near 6 RR [possibility of scoring 300], this portion of Zaman batting and Hafeez's 42 of 24 balls is what catapulted Pakistan to 338. If Azam would've batted longer Pakistan would not have even made 300 on Oval pitch[which Indians planned].
Babar Azam takes almost half of bowls Pakistan team plays with a 68 strike rate which actually is similar to Misbah, selfish and mediocre. Pakistan could'nt even cross 230 recently against a weak Sri Lankan side. Against top 4 sides this pathetic Azam batting would increase more pressure for Pakistan's bowlers to defend meagre totals. Hosting cricket nations would only need to make batting pitches, knowing well Pakistani batting lineup with likes of Azam would never be able to utilize it. They just need to get Zaman out and Pakistani batting made up of selfish accumulators like Azam, Malik will self-destruct.

Azam's test cricket batting in ODIs has helped him get good averages playing mostly with 8,9 ranked teams like Sri Lanka and West Indies yet he averages in 20s in tests rofl. He actually is following his cousin Umar Akmal's game who also knocked around in ODIs to get more runs, seldom hitting. This pathetic selfish game is'nt new for PAkistani cricket thanks to the Akmals.

 

[Dingolfy]

EXACTLY. At the same point in their careers, Babar has a better SR, more hundreds, higher average and FAR more sixes.

Kohli has the same hundreds at the current age of Babar in 2011 but had hit way more boundaries at 249 versus Azam's 137.Also after few months in Feb 2012, he had played that blinder in Australia which destroyed then red-hot Malinga forever.
Kohli had better shots and was running much faster than Azam even back then. So there is absolutely no comparison between Azam and Kohli.

 

[Khan12]

Kohli has the same hundreds at the current age of Babar in 2011 but had hit way more boundaries at 249 versus Azam's 137.Also after few months in Feb 2012, he had played that blinder in Australia which destroyed then red-hot Malinga forever.
Kohli had better shots and was running much faster than Azam even back then. So there is absolutely no comparison between Azam and Kohli.

if i am not wrong kholi played way more matches then him at the age of 23.

 

[troodon]

Babar is a finesse player. More like Dravid than a Rohit or Sehwag.

Dravid used to score useful runs. Even when he scored big, he never destroyed the opposition bowling. At the end of the match (win or lose), you get a feeling that he did his job. But not like, he totally won the match for India.

 

[Khan12]

[MENTION=8597]kingusama92[/MENTION]

Rofl
IT was Pakistan's bowling [and captain strangulating opposition in middle overs, youngsters fielding] that won Pakistan Champions Trophy.
Don't think so, I personally dislike anyone, or else I can explain in much detail with different stats how Azam limits Pakistan's scoring.
In today's era, Mickey or Sarfaraz would never advise Azam to reduce his strike rate to become another accumulator[anchor] in a poor batting side where there is only Fakhar Zaman who has a healthy strike rate, such an advise can only come from his cousins Akmal brothers or chief selector Inzi.
If Azam would've scored faster Arthur-Sarfraz would not need to play an extra batter for pinch-hitting.

Sarfaraz himself has better strike rate(88-89) than Azam even though he does'nt get as many opportunities to bat
'Anchor' Babar Azam average in Champions Trophy was 26.33 with a strike-rate of 70-odd. Off the 46 he made in the final, he played 16 dot-balls against a bowling where a debut making Fakhar Zaman was hitting scoring shots all over the ground. Fakhar Zaman played 10 dot balls mostly in Pandya over or the JAdeja over just after Azhar Ali got out he played only one dot ball inbetween and made 44 off 24 balls. This innings helped Pakistan to attain near 6 RR [possibility of scoring 300], this portion of Zaman batting and Hafeez's 42 of 24 balls is what catapulted Pakistan to 338. If Azam would've batted longer Pakistan would not have even made 300 on Oval pitch[which Indians planned].
Babar Azam takes almost half of bowls Pakistan team plays with a 68 strike rate which actually is similar to Misbah, selfish and mediocre. Pakistan could'nt even cross 230 recently against a weak Sri Lankan side. Against top 4 sides this pathetic Azam batting would increase more pressure for Pakistan's bowlers to defend meagre totals. Hosting cricket nations would only need to make batting pitches, knowing well Pakistani batting lineup with likes of Azam would never be able to utilize it. They just need to get Zaman out and Pakistani batting made up of selfish accumulators like Azam, Malik will self-destruct.

Azam's test cricket batting in ODIs has helped him get good averages playing mostly with 8,9 ranked teams like Sri Lanka and West Indies yet he averages in 20s in tests rofl. He actually is following his cousin Umar Akmal's game who also knocked around in ODIs to get more runs, seldom hitting. This pathetic selfish game is'nt new for PAkistani cricket thanks to the Akmals.

How did you work out his average is CT?

 

[Lefthanded]

Not every batsman can -- or will -- will be able to do every thing.

Even so, if Babar can replicate his ODI record into Tests, I think he'll be the once in a generation player for us.

Even in ODIs, it's not like that we've had a better batsman since he debuted. Maybe Malik.

 

[Abdul]

Has none.

 

[Dingolfy]

if i am not wrong kholi played way more matches then him at the age of 23.

Yes, he had.But he was a beast from his U-19 days itself. And in Babar's case, I don't see many tuk-tuk batsmen improving their S/R later.Once a tuk-tuk,always a tuk-tuk.

 

[Khan12]

Yes, he had.But he was a beast from his U-19 days itself. And in Babar's case, I don't see many tuk-tuk batsmen improving their S/R later.Once a tuk-tuk,always a tuk-tuk.

So you are a fortune teller as well good to know. First you compare that they had the same centuires as the age of 23 and said he has more boundries and then you agree he had played more matches lol. Let me tell you 1 thing which hardly anyone knows the more matches you play the more boundries you hit and the more chances to score centuires.

 

[Humza_Razzaque]

How did you work out his average is CT?

He averaged 44 in ct ,out of 5 matches he was twice not out so around 130 runs in 3 matches makes it 44

 

[Khan12]

He averaged 44 in ct ,out of 5 matches he was twice not out so around 130 runs in 3 matches makes it 44

yeah I know but that genius got 26 lol.

 

[Abdullah719]

Kohli has the same hundreds at the current age of Babar in 2011 but had hit way more boundaries at 249 versus Azam's 137.Also after few months in Feb 2012, he had played that blinder in Australia which destroyed then red-hot Malinga forever.
Kohli had better shots and was running much faster than Azam even back then. So there is absolutely no comparison between Azam and Kohli.

Kohli had also played 69 ODI matches for those 7 hundreds and 249 fours. And his strike-rate was 83...

 

[Abdullah]

He is a touch player.
Needs to use psl and other t20 tournaments to improve the power shots and his general method in t20s.

 

[pkwdpassion]

yeah I know but that genius got 26 lol.

Absolutely the stat is true, these selfish not outs don't hide his pathetic slow game

 

[babajee]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] thoughts?

 

[Abdullah719]

Absolutely the stat is true, these selfish not outs don't hide his pathetic slow game

So you have come up with a new method for deriving averages? How revolutionary, pity no one thought of it before.

 

[Bilal7]

EXACTLY. At the same point in their careers, Babar has a better SR, more hundreds, higher average and FAR more sixes.

Is the sixes part true? Good catch, if yes.

Kohli has the same hundreds at the current age of Babar in 2011 but had hit way more boundaries at 249 versus Azam's 137.Also after few months in Feb 2012, he had played that blinder in Australia which destroyed then red-hot Malinga forever.
Kohli had better shots and was running much faster than Azam even back then. So there is absolutely no comparison between Azam and Kohli.

Yes, he had.But he was a beast from his U-19 days itself. And in Babar's case, I don't see many tuk-tuk batsmen improving their S/R later.Once a tuk-tuk,always a tuk-tuk.

)

Babar's SR is as good as if not better than Kohli's at a similar stage in their development. Difference being that Babar has a far better average and is already a world class batsman while Kohli took much longer to establish himself as one of the best in the world.

Babar has been superb since his under-19 days as well, you need to brush up on your knowledge. One more thing, Babar's SR is the same as Tendulker's.

 

[Bilal7]

Kohli had also played 69 ODI matches for those 7 hundreds and 249 fours. And his strike-rate was 83...

Abdullah on fire! :

Babar is not a bunny against the moving ball. That puts him ahead of Kohli by itself.

 

[waleed88]

Kohli had also played 69 ODI matches for those 7 hundreds and 249 fours. And his strike-rate was 83...

Its good Kohli never became the golden boy early on his career since he was competing with Raina Dhoni Tendulkar and Yuvraj, because of that he is the player he is now. Golden boy treatment allows you to coast in all 3 formats without any accountability whatsoever. If Kohli was Babar, or if he got the preferential treatment Babar is getting, he would never be a Kohli

 

[Abdullah719]

Its good Kohli never became the golden boy early on his career since he was competing with Raina Dhoni Tendulkar and Yuvraj, because of that he is the player he is now. Golden boy treatment allows you to coast in all 3 formats without any accountability whatsoever. If Kohli was Babar, or if he got the preferential treatment Babar is getting, he would never be a Kohli

Disregarding your tirade, there is actually an important point to consider. Kohli had a lot of support in the early stages of his career, legends to learn from. Babar doesn't. Imagine he's doing all this in ODIs without really having an example to learn from. Great achievement I say.

 

[waleed88]

Disregarding your tirade, there is actually an important point to consider. Kohli had a lot of support in the early stages of his career, legends to learn from. Babar doesn't. Imagine he's doing all this in ODIs without really having an example to learn from. Great achievement I say.

It also actually shows a desire to improve, or remove your deficiencies. Why isn't every tom dick and harry coming from India a Virat Kohli?

 

[Dingolfy]

Abdullah on fire! :

Babar is not a bunny against the moving ball. That puts him ahead of Kohli by itself.

Based on what? A fluke innings in Newzealand? Even FTbyon ka Raaja Sehwag has many good scores against moving ball.Tuk-Tuk master cant even socre against Lankan Second rate trundlers on UAE pattas during the test series.For sure, he plays moving ball very well..Man, Pakistanis talking about batting and fielding is equivalent to Indians harping on fast bowling.

 

[Dingolfy]

So you are a fortune teller as well good to know. First you compare that they had the same centuires as the age of 23 and said he has more boundries and then you agree he had played more matches lol. Let me tell you 1 thing which hardly anyone knows the more matches you play the more boundries you hit and the more chances to score centuires.

Please do tell me one tuk-tuk who later became a power hitter especially after age 23.Especially from a country famous for producing tuk-tukers even in this era of super pattas.

 

[Dingolfy]

Is the sixes part true? Good catch, if yes.





)

Babar's SR is as good as if not better than Kohli's at a similar stage in their development. Difference being that Babar has a far better average and is already a world class batsman while Kohli took much longer to establish himself as one of the best in the world.

Babar has been superb since his under-19 days as well, you need to brush up on your knowledge. One more thing, Babar's SR is the same as Tendulker's.

World class batsmen don't fail against second rate trundlers on pattas to get white washed in a test series at home.And then tuk-tuks to selfish centuries at snails pace when 35 year old veterans are scoring faster against
the same trundlers. No wonder, you guys sweat to chase anything over 250 even in this era.

 

[Railu Katta]

World class batsmen don't fail against second rate trundlers on pattas to get white washed in a test series at home.And then tuk-tuks to selfish centuries at snails pace when 35 year old veterans are scoring faster against
the same trundlers. No wonder, you guys sweat to chase anything over 250 even in this era.

World class batsmen also don't average 13 in England after 10 innings [MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] [MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION] [MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION]

Seems like our parosi is still mad about the CT Final. Tough pill to swallow I guess. 1.3 billion dreams shattered and they only made 158

 

[Khan12]

We have already one tuk-tuk in Dhoni in our team who can hit harder at 37 than Babar ever could be and still runs faster than he and his two cousins combined!And I didnt even mention his pathetic fielding yet!

I am sure even dhoni's grandmother can run faster and hit the ball harder then Babar.

 

[zain7077]

Babar Azam and QDK are the two best young batsman (u-25) in the world. No one even comes close.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] thoughts?

It is something that he needs to work on, and I think he should open in T20Is like he does for Karachi in the PSL. He couldn't clear the rope even once against SL in Lahore, and he is not dynamic enough to be a number 3 in T20s. I think he will serve the team better if he holds one end as an opener and leaves the number 3 position for a batsman who has an extra gear.

However, his strike rotation in the first 50-60 balls is more alarming. At times it is out of necessity, e.g. the second ODI vs SL, but it has been a recurring them for him for a while now regardless of the pitch and the match situation. He was striking at 65 in the start of his innings even when we were chasing 370 in Australia.

It is important to finish the innings well, but it is probably even more important to pace the innings well. The great ODI batsmen generally don't let their strike rates drop below 80 at any stage, and that is the difference between a top player and a good one.

 

[Mamoon]

Comparing Babar to Kohli is a pointless endeavor even if we considering the young Kohli for sake of comparison. Babar being better than Kohli after X number of matches does not mean anything because Kohli is well on his way of becoming the best ODI batsman the game has seen.

Even if Babar is better after X number of games, the chances of him reaching that status are extremely, extremely low. Babar can become a great ODI player and Pakistan's best ODI batsman ever, but one in a thousand ODI batsmen will reach Kohli's GOAT level.

If people want to compare, then they should compare him to the batsmen that Babar can realistically compete with and even surpass them.

Let's leave the likes of Kohli, Viv Richards and Tendulkar out of discussion even if he is better after XYZ number of games. Theoretically he can be better than them all, but practically, the chances are extremely, extremely low.

 

[Benchwarmer]

Yes, he had.But he was a beast from his U-19 days itself. And in Babar's case, I don't see many tuk-tuk batsmen improving their S/R later.Once a tuk-tuk,always a tuk-tuk.

Sangakkara didn't have the range of shots that he had towards the end of his career when he started.He just got better & better as his career progressed & acquired that power-hitting aspect of his game.But he had really good batsman to bat around him.
Whereas in the case of Babar Azam,as he is the sole accumulater in the team & considering the relative fragility of Pakistan Batting I don't see him ever coming out of that tuk tuk mode.

 

[Khan12]

It is something that he needs to work on, and I think he should open in T20Is like he does for Karachi in the PSL. He couldn't clear the rope even once against SL in Lahore, and he is not dynamic enough to be a number 3 in T20s. I think he will serve the team better if he holds one end as an opener and leaves the number 3 position for a batsman who has an extra gear.

However, his strike rotation in the first 50-60 balls is more alarming. At times it is out of necessity, e.g. the second ODI vs SL, but it has been a recurring them for him for a while now regardless of the pitch and the match situation. He was striking at 65 in the start of his innings even when we were chasing 370 in Australia.

It is important to finish the innings well, but it is probably even more important to pace the innings well. The great ODI batsmen generally don't let their strike rates drop below 80 at any stage, and that is the difference between a top player and a good one.

Babar is an avergae player. He should quit cricket and concentrate of another profession. His crime is that he is from Pakistan and not India.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Some people here are comparing babar with kohli, let alone kohli babar is not even in comparison with rohit and dhawan. Some centuries with a dismal str rate in uae conditions and fools are comparing him with kohli.