[VIDEOS] Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli at the ICC World Cup 2023

Shane Watson on commentary "It’s a super-human skill Virat Kohli has. Most will have 4 or 5 games where they are on & after they've contributed significantly to their team other guys will have to do it. But that’s not how Kohli is built, every single game he's got his team on his shoulders"
 
Flawless innings from Kohli.
@Mamoon , which World Cup innings against New Zealand do you think is better?
Kohli's 95 while chasing 276 or Babar's 100 while chasing the target of 234?
 
Feel bad for brother @Bilal7

He probably thought Kohli is over the hill currently and Babar is at his peak so finally he'd get to enjoy a Pakistani batsman outright dominating a comparison with the enigma that is Virat Kohli and also do some trolling along the way but this thread has backfired massively in his face.

Virat Kohli - 354
Babar Azam - 83


Oh boy...
 
One big century from Babar & cheap dismissal of Kohli will bring them at the same level.

So never celebrate or curse too soon. Minimum 5 matches to go, Babar is so class he can make 400-500 runs in those still.
Agreed.
Babar needs to score two back-to-back centuries to match Kohli, and at the same time, Kohli has to fail in most of the remaining matches.

While Babar may score centuries, but it is unlikely that Kohli will fail given his current form.
 
Kohli.

Babar was carried by Haris Sohail. Kohli did the heavy lifting himself.
Yeah i remember that match where Haris stood rock solid.
Feel bad for brother @Bilal7

He probably thought Kohli is over the hill currently and Babar is at his peak so finally he'd get to enjoy a Pakistani batsman outright dominating a comparison with the enigma that is Virat Kohli and also do some trolling along the way but this thread has backfired massively in his face.

Virat Kohli - 354
Babar Azam - 83


Oh boy...
Looks like resting Kohli for some games in bilaterals have paid off.He played limited games and got ample rest , avoided injury,kept himself fit . Result is there for everyone to see.
May be template Babar needs to follow, not to play all games in bilaterals, focus on fitness , have some time off to get into groove.
 
Babar Azam is gifted and talented batter. 2 things are keeping him from achieving success like Virat Kohli.

1) Captaincy. Idk why but he wants it badly but captaincy is acting like a burden for him as unfavourable results will weigh on him even if his form is alright.

2) and I’ll be called a hater for this but I think Babar needs to forget about personal milestones and numbers game and just keep one objective in his mind and i.e. winning Pakistan the game. And I think centuries will come by automatically.
 
Feel bad for brother @Bilal7

He probably thought Kohli is over the hill currently and Babar is at his peak so finally he'd get to enjoy a Pakistani batsman outright dominating a comparison with the enigma that is Virat Kohli and also do some trolling along the way but this thread has backfired massively in his face.

Virat Kohli - 354
Babar Azam - 83


Oh boy...
OP won't show up until Kohli fails in few matches and Babar it's a ton or a good fifty
 
Virat Kohli in last 13 innings World Cups:

82(77), 77(65), 67(63), 72(82), 66(76), 26(27), 34*(41), 1(6), 85(115), 55*(56), 16(18), 103*(97), 95(104).

He has 9 fifty plus scores in 13 innings - This is Just Insane and Unreal consistency by The GOAT.
He played only few innings in last 7 months
 
Babar needs to focus on fitness to improve agility, work on gaining strength and building endurance. He also needs to analyse poor performances and identifying areas that need improvement.
Working with sports psychologists to build mental resiliency.Willing and open to adapt his game to different formats, pitches and playing conditions.He should set himself small and specific goals rather than trying to go for glory. He still has time on his age.Babar should also get adequate rest and recovery to prevent burnout by playing with every B and C team and all games in bilaterals. Working on nutrition to maintain fitness levels and staying consistent in his efforts and not getting discouraged by temporary setbacks.He should keep in mind that regaining form can some times take time and patience, so it's important for him to stay dedicated and focused on his improvement.

He need not be compared to Kohli now but if he maintains all the above he can come be a better aggressive version of Babar Azam.
 
Babar does not have a 6th gear or cruise control also Babar's ability to play spin is very average and limited unlike Kohli doesn't have any big weakness
 
What impresses me is the way Kohli controls innings particularly when chasing.

He knows exactly what his plan is, the goal, which bowlers to target.

The man is a machine.
He is unbelievably strong mentally. The guy plays for team first.

At one time India needed 44 and he was 26 away from century, yet didn't play any risky shots that time. Probably knew that if he gets out, team may lose in the end.

He went for milestone only when he believed that game was done and dusted. A lot of player would've risked the win for century earlier.
 
Rashid will not let him score even 50 tomorrow, 100 is something which he can only dream of in this world cup
It depends on what kind of pitch they are using for tomorrow's match. There are four different types of pitches. The one used for India vs. Australia was a square turner, while the others are a mix of black and red soil and relatively easy to bat.
 
It depends on what kind of pitch they are using for tomorrow's match. There are four different types of pitches. The one used for India vs. Australia was a square turner, while the others are a mix of black and red soil and relatively easy to bat.
Something in me says we're going to see the same pitch that they used for Ind vs Aus tomorrow. That will make things very interesting!
 
Pak will hope for a turner. On normal pitch, Afghan spinners will outclass Pakistani spinners handsomely. But on rank turners the gap will narrow, in all other departments Pakistan is clearly better.
 
Babar is not a Fab5. He's not even in top 10 ODI batters from Pakistan (yet).
 
Kohli has incredible cricket stats.

But, assessing him solely by the sheer volume of runs/centuries he has scored would be a grave injustice. His true worth lies in the profound impact his performance has on the ultimate outcome of matches.

He doesn't merely accumulate runs; he ensures his presence until the very end, securing victory for the team. Kohli's impact goes beyond statistics; it's his unwavering drive to win that sets him apart in the game.

Saying this for 1000th time, Babar is not even 10% of great Kohli.
 
He is unbelievably strong mentally. The guy plays for team first.

At one time India needed 44 and he was 26 away from century, yet didn't play any risky shots that time. Probably knew that if he gets out, team may lose in the end.

He went for milestone only when he believed that game was done and dusted. A lot of player would've risked the win for century earlier.
God given talent is nothing without hard work.

This guy has put in the hard yards throughout his career. Look at his levels of application, his fitness, his hunger, his desire.
 
God given talent is nothing without hard work.

This guy has put in the hard yards throughout his career. Look at his levels of application, his fitness, his hunger, his desire.
MSD started this trend of staying cool under pressure while chasing. Kohli took to next level. Basically Kohli most of his carer did 3 things. Building, accelerating and finishing or taking it very close to win. He knows which shot to play against which guy. Very rarely he makes error in judgement.
 
Past it Virat is crushing peak Babar in terms of World Cup performances

Babar will still be the more "talented" of the two though.
 
What impresses me is the way Kohli controls innings particularly when chasing.

He knows exactly what his plan is, the goal, which bowlers to target.

The man is a machine.
His ability to rotate strike against spin and score boundaries off pace at will during the middle overs makes him a chasing machine.
 
Yeah i remember that match where Haris stood rock solid.

Looks like resting Kohli for some games in bilaterals have paid off.He played limited games and got ample rest , avoided injury,kept himself fit . Result is there for everyone to see.
May be template Babar needs to follow, not to play all games in bilaterals, focus on fitness , have some time off to get into groove.
If Babar rests during the JAMODIs, his average will be 40ish. Can we please close this thread. We are already hurting enough.
 
To be fair to the OP even Kohli’s fans didn’t think he will start the wc like this or Babar like he did.

Still many games to go things can turn around.
If Babar performs from next game he will be so much more respected coz he is under pressure and turns it around..
Why do you think so? Coming into this world cup Kohli had already scored 3 100s this year including 1 against Pakistan. Also we need to note that Kohli and Rohit missed a few ODIs against west indies and Australia. In fcat he was in good form and in a good mentak space. On the other hand Babar came into the world with a string of failures as a player with additional pressure as captain on Pakistan not making it to the Asia cup final. That makes this thread amusing to start with.
 
As I said in the other thread, Babar’s biggest enemies are his delusional fans who compared him to Kohli.

They put him in a position from where he could only fail. They overrated him instead of celebrating him for who he is.

The jealousy inferiority complex of Pakistani fans with regards to Kohli has caused severe damage to Babar’s legacy and status.

Imagine Indian fans calling Kuldeep better than Warne. Any time he doesn’t perform, he will criticized and mocked like anything.

Babar never asked to be compared to Kohli. He has always been respectful and humble. Without this idiotic comparison with Kohli he would have a lot less pressure on his shoulders and his good qualities would have been highlighted more.

His fans have proved to be his biggest enemies by forcefully giving him the King title and comparing him to someone who is far ahead of him in terms of talent, skill and mental application and always will be.
 
As I said in the other thread, Babar’s biggest enemies are his delusional fans who compared him to Kohli.

They put him in a position from where he could only fail. They overrated him instead of celebrating him for who he is.

The jealousy inferiority complex of Pakistani fans with regards to Kohli has caused severe damage to Babar’s legacy and status.

Imagine Indian fans calling Kuldeep better than Warne. Any time he doesn’t perform, he will criticized and mocked like anything.

Babar never asked to be compared to Kohli. He has always been respectful and humble. Without this idiotic comparison with Kohli he would have a lot less pressure on his shoulders and his good qualities would have been highlighted more.

His fans have proved to be his biggest enemies by forcefully giving him the King title and comparing him to someone who is far ahead of him in terms of talent, skill and mental application and always will be.
You’re vastly overestimating how much power people on online forums have.
 
You’re vastly overestimating how much power people on online forums have.
It is not just online forums but also social media which is the most powerful tool in the world as far as spreading information is concerned.

The Babar vs Kohli narrative is not just restricted to online forums but it has also been a marketing strategy on social media.

Babar has been called King, GOAT and other stuff that is used for Kohli. Babar brand building was done to mimic Kohli which meant he was forced into a battle with a player who is vastly superior in every way.
 
Kohli's true test will be in the semi-final and final.

Kohli's record in big knockout games is awful.
No. A team has to perform in league matches first to reach knockouts. Kohli's inning against Aus and NZ is one of the main reason that India is almost in semis now. He has single handedly taken team to semis with his batting.

Even if he fails in KOs, it should be responsibility of guys like Gill, KL, Iyer, Rohit etc to win the match for India.

Btw he scored crucial 35 when India was 2 down in 2011 final, top scorer in 2013 CT final, top scorer 77(58) in 2014 T20 final which India lost due to poor batting of Rahane. Yes he has fare share of failure in knockouts but has played important part in last 2 ICC trophies of India.

We all want him to perform in knockouts of 2023 WC but if any batsman who shouldn't be criticised in case of failure in KOs of 2023 WC, it's Virat Kohli.
 
Virat v/s. Babar comparison stops only when ICC starts giving half point for big knocks against minnows
 
I think ranking points do account for the quality of opposition.
The problem is that when Australia, New Zealand or England play with their second string attack, don't think the ranking can take that into account. Babar had a good 2019 WC especially one good innings against New Zealand. But in the last few years whenever I have seen him bat in ICC events, he has struggled big time. These remaining 5 games is huge for Babar, if he fails to score runs, it will be hard to take his 100's in bi-laterals seriously. Don't care about the knockouts but just get Pakistan into the semis by scoring some runs, that should be good enough.
 
ICC ranking should somehow take into account the rankings of bowlers faced by the batsmen rather than just plain consideration of team rankings
 
ICC ranking should somehow take into account the rankings of bowlers faced by the batsmen rather than just plain consideration of team rankings
ICC does include player rankings of bowlers. If my understanding is correct here is how it goes. If you look at top 10 bowlers You have Rashid khan at 4. Mujeeb at 3 Nabi at no.10. If you score against Afghanistan you get a boost because it is supposedly the best attack. Tomorrow if Babar scores a 100 against Afghanistan he will get an extra boost say compared to if he scores against SA which has just one bowler in top 10, Maharaj at 5. Because of bowlers and batsmen missing a lot of matches due to workload management they don't feature in rankings. So the rankings are less accurate than say 3 or 4 years back. We just have to take it with a pinch of salt. Your eye test is more reliable than ICC ranking. Test is where all teams play with full teams. The rankings are accurate there. T20 is even more a joke.
 
To be fair to the OP even Kohli’s fans didn’t think he will start the wc like this or Babar like he did.

Still many games to go things can turn around.
If Babar performs from next game he will be so much more respected coz he is under pressure and turns it around..
Lol, I was sure that Babar will be exposed in front of everyone against teams consisting their main bowlers. You are right in Kohli's case though.
 
Babar Azam is 29, the age where probably most batters are on their peak.

From past 1 year he played four multi nation tournaments ie 2022 and 2023 Asia cups, 2022 t20i world cup and current world cup.
He played total 22 matches, and scored only 482 runs at an average of just 22. He scored only 1 hundred that too against Nepal (151).

Kohli played all four tournaments along with Babar and has outperformed him clearly in and every tournament.

Kohli scored more than double runs than Babar while playing 2 less innings, and has better average, strike rate and 50+ scores.
And he will be 35 next month.


All four Tournament Stats details

Babar Azam
Innings - 21
Runs - 482
Average - 21.90 (15 excluding Nepal knock)
Strike Rate - 94
100s/50s - 1/3


Virat Kohli
Innings - 19
Runs - 1055
Average - 96 (Read it again)
Strike Rate - 117
100s/50s - 3/9



If even now we are comparing Babar with Kohli then no one is as stupid as us..
🔥🔥
 
The problem is that when Australia, New Zealand or England play with their second string attack, don't think the ranking can take that into account. Babar had a good 2019 WC especially one good innings against New Zealand. But in the last few years whenever I have seen him bat in ICC events, he has struggled big time. These remaining 5 games is huge for Babar, if he fails to score runs, it will be hard to take his 100's in bi-laterals seriously. Don't care about the knockouts but just get Pakistan into the semis by scoring some runs, that should be good enough.
Ranking should account for individual ratings of opponent bowlers and batsmen, but I guess it will be too complicated then.
 
Babar Azam is 29, the age where probably most batters are on their peak.

From past 1 year he played four multi nation tournaments ie 2022 and 2023 Asia cups, 2022 t20i world cup and current world cup.
He played total 22 matches, and scored only 482 runs at an average of just 22. He scored only 1 hundred that too against Nepal (151).

Kohli played all four tournaments along with Babar and has outperformed him clearly in and every tournament.

Kohli scored more than double runs than Babar while playing 2 less innings, and has better average, strike rate and 50+ scores.
And he will be 35 next month.


All four Tournament Stats details

Babar Azam
Innings - 21
Runs - 482
Average - 21.90 (15 excluding Nepal knock)
Strike Rate - 94
100s/50s - 1/3


Virat Kohli
Innings - 19
Runs - 1055
Average - 96 (Read it again)
Strike Rate - 117
100s/50s - 3/9



If even now we are comparing Babar with Kohli then no one is as stupid as us..
🔥🔥
As a Babar fan, you know things are bad when Kohli's average is more than Babar's strike rate.
 
We have so many great batsman Sachin,Lara, Ponting, Abdv , Vi Richards, i know everyone of them are absolute legends But Haven't seen a top order batsman so often finishing show many matches by himself , That's Why I call him rarest of rare ,He anchors as accumulator than explode like Annihilator. I am not saying these goats haven't that quality they had but they haven't done it so often and so prolific as Kohli Does.

For me he's best ever.

Top Odi batsman for me all I rate equal

Sachin,Viv Richards, Abdv ,King Kohli .

I don't rate Ponting in same tier he has striker rate of 69 in worldcup matches despite being in legendary team
.
 
We have so many great batsman Sachin,Lara, Ponting, Abdv , Vi Richards, i know everyone of them are absolute legends But Haven't seen a top order batsman so often finishing show many matches by himself , That's Why I call him rarest of rare ,He anchors as accumulator than explode like Annihilator. I am not saying these goats haven't that quality they had but they haven't done it so often and so prolific as Kohli Does.

For me he's best ever.

Top Odi batsman for me all I rate equal

Sachin,Viv Richards, Abdv ,King Kohli .

I don't rate Ponting in same tier he has striker rate of 69 in worldcup matches despite being in legendary team
.
79 not 69
 
One more stat, in these 21 innings, Babar hit just 4 sixes while Kohli hit 7 times more that.
6 hitting is a dumb dumb barometer.
True barometer should be win contribution or rather man of the matches won to indicate the level of impact
 
6 hitting is a dumb dumb barometer.
True barometer should be win contribution or rather man of the matches won to indicate the level of impact
Whats the use of getting man of the match vs teams like Nepal? I hardly remember Babar has taken Pakistan to the finish line when Pakistan was down in the dumps.
 
Whats the use of getting man of the match vs teams like Nepal? I hardly remember Babar has taken Pakistan to the finish line when Pakistan was down in the dumps.
I am talking about frequency of motm award is a better barometer. We can add quality of opposition later.
But 6 hitting is no barometer of a great batsman.
 
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