File photo of Babar Azam (left) and Virat Kohli.© AFP
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer said that Babar Azam is a good player, but his comparison with Virat Kohli is not right. Jaffer feels that the comparison with Kohli is one of the reasons behind the downturn in the Pakistan batter’s performance. He added that the Pakistani media have hyped Babar “too much”. Virat is the second-best player on the list of batters with the most international centuries and international runs at the highest level. As Kohli continues to rise through the ranks, Babar has been experiencing a dip in form.
“Babar is a good player, there is no doubt about it. He has also performed well. I obviously like him a lot as a player. But I just thought he was rated more than his limit. He was rated more than his limit. Virat Kohli se compare karna shuru kar diya. They (Pakistani fans and media) made him the king. And I think that was the reason (for his downfall),” Jaffer said in a video on X.
“People around you treat you like that. The media is calling you King Babar. Unnecessary comparison started with Virat. And I think that pressure started playing in his mind. He tried to be like Virat Kohli. He tried to play like how Virat used to in the Indian team. He tried to play like that. He tried to perform like that. Virat is Virat – one of the greatest players of this generation. So, I felt that the media hyped him too much. And from there, his downslide started,” he added.
Jaffer also feels that Babar was not an effective captain for Pakistan and that he should have built a stronger team under his leadership.
“Plus, his captaincy. He didn’t build the team as he should have. Although he got the chances, he couldn’t perform as expected. Neither could he win consistently with his team. Although he played in the T20 World Cup final, the team was good. But I just thought, he didn’t take Pakistan cricket to the top when he had the chance,” the former India opener said.
“Without a doubt, he is one of the finest batters of Pakistan of this generation,” he added
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