Renowned Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed his belief that Babar Azam, the Pakistani cricketer, still has a long way to go to reach the level of batting excellence achieved by Virat Kohli. India and Pakistan, being arch-rivals in the cricketing world, have ignited a fan war between the passionate fan bases of Kohli and Babar on social media. Cricket enthusiasts often draw comparisons between the Pakistan captain and the Indian batting maestro, with both players having praised each other on various occasions.

While many former cricketers have consistently favored Kohli over Babar, citing the latter’s greater experience in international cricket and consistent performances on the big stage, Harbhajan Singh believes, “Virat Kohli has established himself as a great, while Babar Azam still has a lot to do. He will reach there someday, as he is a wonderful player. He is very good in Test cricket, but maybe T20 doesn’t suit him a lot.”

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During a conversation on Harbhajan’s YouTube channel, former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar shared similar views on the comparison between Kohli and Babar. Akhtar stated that Babar is making strides in improving his game in the shortest format and criticized the critics for being overly harsh on him.

“Virat Kohli is the greatest, and Babar Azam is in the making to be the greatest batsman ever. He is trying to get better in T20s. People are behind him for no reason,” added Shoaib Akhtar.

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India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in the Asia Cup 2023, followed by a highly anticipated clash in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Although the Asia Cup schedule has yet to be announced, the arch-rivals will meet on October 15th during the ODI World Cup at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Interestingly, this day also marks Babar Azam’s 29th birthday, adding an extra layer of tension to the occasion.