Despite being compared to world-class cricket players Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, Azam says he feels no pressure.
Pakistan’s exciting batsman, Babar Azam, says that he has a long way to go before he can even be included in the same conversation with Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, two of the greatest active cricket players. In the last three Tests he played in, he has scored 104, 97 and 102* runs. He has also been the team’s sole batter to make a significant impact. Because of his excellent performance, people have been comparing him to India’s own Virat Kohli.
However, Babar feels that he needs more time practising in and playing Tests before he can be considered as one of the best batsmen. He did express his desire to reach the elite level of Kohli, Smith, and company. He has focused on being more and more consistent, little-by-little, day-by-day.
‘Look, Kohli has already achieved a lot. He is a legend in his country. Honestly, there is no comparison with me right now but eventually, I also want to get where he is today’, he said. ‘The media and people have drawn comparisons between me and Virat Kohli but I realise that I still need to get more runs in red ball cricket to be ranked among the top players. That is why in recent months I have been focusing a lot on getting consistent scores in Test matches’.
He scored his first Test century in his 16th Test match after making his debut back in October 2016. Since then, he’s just been racking up his runs, making him ICC’s number one ranked T20I batsman. He is also one of the reasons why Pakistan is very dominant in the shortest format.
Babar has also been compared to Australia’s Steve Smith whose Test average is second-best to Don Bradman. Nevertheless, this doesn’t bother Babar at all. ‘I don’t feel any pressure if anyone compares me with Kohli or Steve Smith. I am now more focused on my batting and I spend hours watching videos of my innings. I catch my mistakes and then I try to ensure I don’t commit them again the next time’.
Pakistan’s next match will be a Test against Sri Lanka. Pakistan has odds of -344.83 while Sri Lanka has odds of +280. To find out more about Pakistan’s upcoming matches, visit Betwala’s page.
READ MORE: Cricket Odds
