Virat Kohli does not need us, we need him: Bumrah
Bumrah, however, stressed that Kohli knows his cricket better than anyone else and that his experience of batting in these challenging conditions was essential from the team’s perspective.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja feels that Pakistan T20I skipper Babar Azam can surpass India skipper Virat Kohli if the Pakistani plays with a free mind without the fear of losing.
“He has the potential to even beat Virat Kohli but he needs to free up (his mind) and not think about losing. As soon as he does that and thinks about scoring runs and winning, he will remain a great player for a very long time,” said Raja as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“For Babar Azam sky is the limit. Until and unless he gets the environment which is encouraging and engaging, he won’t be able to love up to his potential,” he added.
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However, Babar has already ruled out such comparisons with Kohli, saying that the India batter has “already achieved a lot”.
Kohli’s records, especially in the white-ball format, are staggering. The classy right-hander averages above 50 in all forms of international cricket. In Tests, he has scored 7240 runs at an average of 53.62 and in ODIs, he has scored 11867 runs at an average of almost 60. In the shortest format, Kohli has played 82 matches in which he has scored 2794 runs.
Kohli is constantly rated as the best batsman in the world because of his adaptability to different situations and different formats.
Meanwhile, Babar has played 74 ODIs, 38 T20Is and 26 Tests for Pakistan in which the right-hander has amassed 3359, 1471 and 1850 runs. The Pakistan batter averages above 50 in the white-ball format.
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