The decision of Pakistan selection committee to drop Babar Azam has once again triggered the debate whether he is a greater batsman than India’s Virat Kohli. Babar was “rested” after Pakistan’s crushing defeat against England in the first Test in Multan. Babar hasn’t scored a Test half-century since December 2022. He has now gone 18 Test innings without reaching fifty.

Last month, Babar quit as Pakistan captain for the second time in less than a year, citing a desire to focus on his batting, but his decision didn’t change his fortune.

Last month, on Babar’s performance former skipper Zaheer Abbas called for his removal from the squad due to a prolonged dip in form. “If he’s our main batsman and he’s out of form, he should be out of the team,” Zaheer said at an event in the UAE.

His performance in the home Test series against Bangladesh was particularly disappointing, wherein he managed only 64 runs (0, 22, 11, and 31) in four innings.

Babar recently fell from the ICC top 10 rankings for the first time in years.

Babar used to average above 50 in Tests before the start of this dry phase. He scored 1184 runs in nine Tests with four centuries and seven fifties in a bumper 2022 at an average of 69.64. But this has been followed by 204 runs in five Tests at 22.66 in 2023 and 143 runs in four Tests at 20.42 thus far in 2024.

Despite public backing from captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie, the selectors believe Babar will benefit from a break.

His replacement Kamran Ghulam proved his selection right as he made a patient 118 off 224 balls and became the 13th Pakistan batsman to score a century on Test debut and the first to do so against England. He had been waiting for years to get a chance to play for Pakistan. In his 59 first-class matches before the Test debut, Kamran scored 4,377 runs, averaging 49.17, including 16 centuries and 20 fifties.

Virat Kohli has played many more matches than Babar Azam and scored a lot more runs. He has scored 9017 runs in 116 Tests, compared to Babar’s 3997 runs in 55 Test matches.

Virat has a better batting average of 48.74 compared to Babar’s 43.92.

Like Babar Azam’s current struggles, Kohli had a rough patch between 2020 and 2023, but he still remained a part of the Indian squad. He pitched in with handy knocks, helped the team with leadership experience and tried his maximum best on the field.

When all the players fail then big players should stand tall which Virat Kohli does more often than not. That’s why many people call Kohli king but that is not the case with. We have never seen him stand tall when his team was down and out.

On the contrary, Babar Azam didn’t show such a kind of resilience in Tests. Kohli had already carved out his reputation with multiple ICC trophies and remarkable achievements before enduring a rough patch. When Virat Kohli was 22 years old, he became a World Cup winner (2011). At 24, he added the ICC Champions Trophy (2013) to his resume before leading the Indian Test side. His rise to greatness was not just limited to limited-overs, he made a telling impact in Tests with match-winning performances. When he was 26, he had scored four centuries in Australia. Babar Azam has not achieved similar kinds of milestones at comparable stages of his career.

It’s time for Babar Azam’s fans to get a reality check. Babar’s career lacks the early triumphs and high-pressure performances that Kohli has constantly delivered.

The former Indian skipper is the best all-format player without the shadow of a doubt. He has scored seven double centuries in Tests, six of them coming within 16 months, which is quite an incredible feat.

Notably, he is the only batter who went past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI centuries. Kohli has hit 50 centuries in ODIs.

Although Babar showed promise in ODIs and T20Is, he has yet to extend his dominance in Tests.

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