Former Australian great gives his opinion on debate between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli

The comparison between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli might not be fruitful many times. But the fans and experts want to talk about the two champion players. The two are the best players in the world and have won a lot of matches for their team. While one is the captain of his team, the other is no longer the captain of his team but is still a champion batter. 

In the Asia Cup 2023, the two have had good outings till now. While Babar scored a hundred against Nepal, Virat scored a hundred against Pakistan. In tricky conditions in Sri Lanka, the two have struggled a bit to score. The former Australian cricketer, Matthew Hayden, has spoken about the two cricketers in the Asia Cup 2023. Hayden worked for some time with Babar in Pakistan. 

‘Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match’ – Matthew Hayden

Hayden felt that Babar led the head-to-head comparison between the two batters. “Babar Azam is a champion. He comes back from these things time and time again because that’s what champions do. When you think about the statistical comparison at the same stage, Virat Kohli vs. Babar Azam, Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match,” said the former World Cup winner. 

The former Australian opener added that under the leadership of Azam, Pakistan can beat Sri Lanka in a must-win game. “So that’s how significant he is to the Pakistani team lineup, and I am sure that he can do it in this shoot-out against Sri Lanka. Babar is central not only because he is the captain, but he is absolutely central in terms of the talent of that batting unit,” the former Australian batter added. 

Hayden was with the Pakistani team as a mentor during the 2021 T20 World Cup. In the tournament, Pakistan won its first-ever World Cup game against India. Since then, India and Pakistan have faced each other in five instances. India has won three of those matches, while Pakistan has won only one and the other match ended without a result.