Babar has the potential to overtake Virat Kohli: Ramiz Raja
What's the story
Former Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja made a big call when he said Babar Azam can beat Virat Kohli if he continues with his magnificent run. He also advised Babar to free up his mind and stay focused. Babar is often touted as the greatest Pakistan batsman in modern-day cricket. The 25-year-old had earlier expressed his desire to emulate Kohli in international cricket. Here's more.
Quote
Babar needs to think about winning, feels Ramiz Raja
"He has the potential to even beat 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 be a great player," Ramiz said.
Form
Babar Azam has been in sublime form across formats
With a Test average of 45.12, Babar Azam averages over 50 in both ODI and T20I formats. Notably, he is the only batsman to be present in the top five of the ICC rankings across all three formats. Babar, who is also the number one T20I batsman, has scored 2,291 runs in 39 internationals since at 60.28 since January 2019.
Information
Babar was only behind Kohli and Rohit in 2019
In the last calendar year, Babar Azam was the third highest run-scorer across formats, having scored 2,082 runs in 36 matches at 57.83. His counterpart Virat Kohli led the tally with 2,455 runs at 64.60. Rohit Sharma held the number two spot, tallying 2,442 runs.
Achievement
Babar shrugged off comparisons with Kohli
Previously, Babar brushed aside any comparison with the Indian captain, but reiterated that he wants to match Kohli's stature. "Kohli has already achieved a lot. There is no comparison with me right now but eventually I also want to get where he is today," Babar said. He added, "I am more focused on my batting and I spend hours watching videos of my innings."