The ‘Kohli vs Babar’ debate has erupted again since the former returned to form in style. On Thursday, the former Indian skipper smashed an unbeaten 122 off 61 balls against Afghanistan, notching up his 71st international century after waiting for almost three years. On the other hand, Babar is getting better with every game. Ever since he got the captaincy across formats, his career has been through a meteoric rise.
When it comes to comparison, fans often come up with stats to prove who is the better batter among them. But for former cricketers, it’s always tough to pick one name. Former Pakistan cricketer and current head coach Saqlain Mushtaq also faced the same dilemma when he was asked to name his choice.
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In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Saqlain named Babar Azam his favourite but left a special message for the former Indian skipper.
“Definitely Babar kahunga… but Virat mere dil ke bohot karib hai (I will definitely pick Babar, but Virat is close to my heart)” he said.
The same question was asked to former Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya. The batting legend wasted no time in saying Kohli’s name and even said that his sons likes the ace Indian batter as well.
“I like Virat Kohli. He is my favourite player and also my son’s favourite player too,” he said.
The fans may rue out a debate or a virtual battle of excellence between the two cricketing stalwarts, but the duo share a great bond of mutual respect. Prior to the commencement of the Asia Cup 2022, the Pakistan captain took to Twitter and extended his support to Virat who was struggling with a lean patch.
Last week, while speaking at the post-match show on Star Sports Network, Kohli talked about his off-field camaraderie with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and said he is much junior to him but is always keen to learn things.
“Babar is a nice guy, we have had good conversations. Of course, he is much junior to me and about kingship and all I am not sure. But one thing is there he is always keen to learn so there is no surprise he is playing like this in all formats,” Kohli had said.
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