Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan has opined that Babar Azam cannot be compared to Indian captain Virat Kohli as he still has a long way to go in his international career.
The 25-year-old Babar was recently handed the responsibility of leading the ODI team. He was earlier only the skipper of the T20I side.
Advertisement
While Kohli is widely regarded as the best batsman in modern-day cricket, Babar has his own set of supporters and fans and a section of cricket experts are even claiming him to be the next big thing in international cricket.
“You see, Kohli – who is now 31 and at the peak of his career – has been in international cricket for over a decade and has proved himself in all conditions. The 70 international centuries that he has scored is a testimony to his class and abilities,” Younis was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
“Babar, on the other hand, made his international debut barely five years back. He already has 16 centuries under his belt and shows very good averages in both Tests and ODIs, but it will be unfair to start comparing the two right now. If you have to, compare Babar five years (from now) with the dominance that Kohli is showing in his game today,” he added.
Younis further stated that it is Babar’s eagerness to learn that will help him go ahead in his career.
“Babar made his debut during the last two to three years of my career and I was really impressed by his humility. I have always felt that the more humble you are, you can achieve bigger goals in your life,” he said.
“It’s a young team that he has to lead, though there could be a few players senior in age to him. He has to be protective about the team and take it forward,” he added.