Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who is the better batter? Wasim Akram shares strong opinion

Former Indian skipper and top-order batter Virat Kohli has struggled for runs over the past couple of years. However, legendary former Pakistani all-rounder, Wasim Akram feels that Kohli remains one of the all-time greats. Also, he thinks that comparing Pakistan skipper Babar Azam with him is a tad premature at this stage. All eyes will be on Kohli when India meets Pakistan in its Asia Cup T20 2022 opener at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Kohli will be coming into the game all fresh, having taken a break during the away series against the Windies and Zimbabwe. While he has been through an extended grey patch, with no international century since November 2019, the much younger Babar appears to be at his peak, doing well across formats.

"First of all, let me say that criticism from Indian fans against Kohli has been unnecessary. He is one of the greatest of all time, not just in this era. He still fit as a fiddle. He is still one of the best fielders in the Indian squad. As they say, class is forever, and that is Virat Kohli. I hope he doesn't come back to form against Pakistan. Still, he will come back eventually," said Akram during a virtual Star Sports interactive session with former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

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About Babar's comparison with Kohli, the former Pakistani skipper ascribed, "The comparisons are only natural. People used to compare Inzamam, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar when we played. Before that, it was Sunil Gavaskar Javed Miandad, G Vishwanath and Zaheer Abbas."

"Babar has been very consistent because he has got the correct technique. He is starving and very fit. He is still a young captain but is learning very fast. However, comparisons with Virat it is too early. Babar is on the right track to where Virat Kohli is, but comparing him with him at this stage is too early. But, he is absolutely on the right track to be one of the modern greats," guessed Akram.

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'Shaheen's absence a significant setback for Pakistan'
Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi, who had unnerved India's top order during the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup last year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up a 10-wicket triumph, has been ruled out of the Asia Cup with a knee injury. Akram believes Shaheen's absence impacts Pakistan significantly, as he counted him among the top bowlers in world cricket.

"Shaheen Afridi will be missed a lot. He is important because of the new ball. In this format, if you have to restrict the opposition by taking early wickets, that is what he does. He attacks the stumps in all formats. There was criticism when he did not take a break, but he is only 22," Akram inferred.

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"He [Shaheen] has a knee injury that takes time to heal, and you always fear it might come back. He is one of the world's top three bowlers, so a significant setback for Pakistan. There is still pace in the bowling department, but there is no variation. They all are right-handers," Akram regretted.

'Looking forward to Surya'
Among the Indian players, Akram looks forward to seeing Suryakumar Yadav. "I saw him first when I was with KKR. He played a couple of shots, which is a very unusual shot to master. Since he got into the Indian squad, he has been a treat to watch. He is a 360-degree player," he said.

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Closely contested
The Pakistan great also predicted it would be the most closely fought Asia Cup ever, drastically reducing the team gap. "It will be the best Asia Cup ever, in my opinion. Earlier, there used to be India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But now, all teams are dangerous, including Afghanistan and Bangladesh," concluded Akram.

(With inputs from PTI)