Ex-Pakistan batter blames Virat Kohli comparisons piling pressure on Babar Azam

Former Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad believes constant comparisons with Virat Kohli have contribute to Babar Azam’s decline in form. The pakistan star struggled across format, even losing his place in the T20I team. His poor run has continued in the ongoing series against the West Indies, where he scored just 0 and 9 in the second and third T20Is.

Babar Azam has long been compared to India’s star batter Virat Kohli, but the former Pakistan captain has struggled to meet those expectations, failing to score a century since 2023. Ahmed Shehzad claims these constant have put Babar under unfair pressure.

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“When everything was going well, you were running campaigns comparing players. Now that the performances are not coming, you are saying ‘don’t compare two players’. Why not? Virat Kohli’s comparison cannot be made with anyone in the world. He is a legend of this generation, a role model. You cannot compare him even with MS Dhoni. Dhoni may have been a great captain, but as a batter, cricketer, and athlete, Kohli stands alone. No one should be compared with anyone because it’s unfair and it adds extra pressure, which we are now seeing on Babar Azam,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by GeoSuper.

Babar Azam last century was a 151 run knock off 131 balls against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023. Since then, he failed to reach three digit in 72 innings across formats, scoring 2,139 runs at an average of 31.45 with 18 half-centuries. His Test form has been even more concerning — 590 runs from 25 innings at an average of 23.60 since his last hundred against New Zealand in December 2022.

Since winning the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2022, the star batter’s career trajectory has dipped. With the Asia Cup 2025 approaching, and reports of his return to T20Is, Babar will be eager to regain his best form.