Babar Azam needs to learn match-winning ability from Virat Kohli, opines Ramiz Raza
Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raza has opined that Babar Azam must learn the match-winning abilities from Virat Kohli and convert his starts into big wins for Pakistan. He also added that Babar’s comparison with Kohli is unfair but Babar should take it in his stride and perform accordingly.
Despite a decent performance in England, Pakistan’s latest batting star Babar Azam, who scored 195 runs in three Tests @48.75, wasn’t able to satisfy the fans of Pakistani Cricket. This is the level that Babar has established for himself in his relatively short span of career, one that has seen fans demand big match-winning knocks.
Ramiz Raza also admitted that Babar has reached the maturity, where he should start playing match-winning knocks for Pakistan and not paltry 50s. He opined that the 25-year old should learn the match-winning abilities from Virat Kohli, who he is often compared to. He also compared Indian skipper 2014 England’s tour to that of Babar’s current England soil and suggested that he would conquer the English soil on his next visit. He further praised Babar’s batting skills and pointed out the aesthetics of his batting.
“This Pakistan batting line-up needs him to score massively. What he has to do is become a match-winner now. He needs to learn that from Kohli. And he’s got the potential. He’s only 25. I feel that with time, he’ll get better. Next time when he goes to England, it will be a bit like Kohli — he will be more at home playing swing and seam,” former Pakistan opener-turned commentator Ramiz Raza said as quoted by TOI.
“The good thing is that when Babar bats, he looks aesthetically beautiful to watch. He plays the cover and on drive well, he has time to play his shots. He didn’t get the big numbers in England, but the moment he walks in and starts his innings, you know that there’s quality to him.”
Rameez felt that it’s unfair to compare Babar with Kohli right now as he’s still new in the international circuit, but, asserted that the stylish Pakistani batsman should not get bogged down by any comparison.
“The comparison with Virat is not justified. Virat is a match-winner. Babar has played only a handful of Tests. He’s finding his way through the international circuit. However, it must be great for him to be compared to Kohli. I don’t think that it brings pressure on him,” Ramiz added.