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Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali offered his opinion on the comparison between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, claims Kohli is in a league of his own.
Having made his debut in 2008, the present Indian captain has already established himself as a stalwart in all the formats. Kohli is the only batsman from the current generation to average comfortably over 50 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. ODI has become his strongest suit in which the 31-year old averages an imposing 59.3 having scored 11867 runs.
On the other hand, Babar Azam is well on track to become one of the greats of the game in the future. The 25-year old averages over 50 in both limited-overs format of cricket while in Tests, the figure stands a just above 45. The Pakistani batsman is ranked third and first in ODIs and T20Is, respectively, while in Tests, he stands at fifth.
Azhar Ali conceded that his fellow countryman Babar is rising while acknowledging that he lacks opportunities. At the same time, the 35-year old confessed that in terms of making an impact, playing match-winning knocks, and status, Kohli is in a league of his own.
“At the moment, Babar is on the rise. Maybe he doesn’t have many opportunities as Virat Kohli, but at the moment, you have to say that Kohli is still better in terms of his achievements. Talking about skills, Babar is not less than any cricketer at the moment. But if we talk from the perspective of records, or match-winning knocks or achievements, Kohli has got more opportunities, and Kohli’s status also as a player is big.” Ali stated.
Speaking about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has also created financial distress, Azhar declared that the players are ready to take pay cuts if the situation comes down to it. He said that the lockdown situation isn’t a pleasant one and that the Board would probably slash their pay if it extends.
“It is not a good situation for any country, and we know that if this lockdown situation continued for a few months, the Board might ask us to take pay cuts in the old or new central contacts. If such a situation arises that we asked to take pay cuts, we are mentally prepared for it, and we will sit down with the Board and make the best decisions.” he further stated.
