Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam is going through one of the toughest phases of his career, enduring a 72-innings century drought across formats. Former teammate Ahmed Shehzad believes that constant, unnecessary comparisons with India’s batting icon Virat Kohli have only added to the pressure and affected Babar’s performances.
Ahmed Shehzad, who has previously been vocal about Babar’s leadership and form, told The Times of India that such debates do more harm than good.
“When everything was going well, people ran campaigns comparing him to Kohli. Now, when performances have dipped, the same voices say, ‘don’t compare.’ Why not? Virat Kohli is in a league of his own — a legend of this generation and a role model. Even MS Dhoni, a great captain, cannot be compared to him as a batter and athlete. Comparisons only create extra pressure, and we are seeing that with Babar now,” Ahmed Shehzad said.
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Between June 2019 and August 2023, Babar’s sublime stroke play, consistency, and adaptability turned him into Pakistan’s biggest modern-day batting hope. His rise coincided with Kohli’s rare lean patch, sparking bold claims from some fans and sections of the Pakistani media that Babar had surpassed the Indian maestro.
While Babar never encouraged these comparisons, they inevitably invited heightened expectations and scrutiny. As the runs have dried up, criticism has intensified. The right-hander hasn’t scored a century since his 151 against Nepal at the 2023 Asia Cup. In the 64 innings since, he has managed 18 fifties but averages just 31.45.
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The latest setback came in Pakistan’s shock 1-2 ODI series defeat to the West Indies, where Babar scored 47, 0, and 9. Such numbers are far from what fans expect from a player once hailed as the nation’s batting saviour. As pressure mounts, Shehzad’s remarks reignite the debate on whether hyped comparisons at the peak of a player’s form end up becoming the very weight that drags them down.
