There have been tons of comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Their similar batting average in the shorter format and playing style have often invited cricket fans and experts to draw parallels. While Kohli clearly has an upper hand over Azam in almost all parameters simply due to his experience, the Pakistan skipper has carved a niche for himself in a short span. Both Kohli and Azam are also known for their consistency which reflects in their batting average. However, Matthew Hayden, the batting consultant of Pakistan, highlighted a major difference between the two world players.
In a recent media interaction, Hayden said Kohli and Azam become the exact opposite of each other on the field where the Indian skipper openly expresses himself, while his Pakistani counterpart remains stable, and is not “overly flamboyant”.
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“Babar and his personality is, as you see is what you get. He is very consistent. He is very stable. He is not overly flamboyant. In fact, I would go as far as to say he is almost the opposite personality to someone like Virat Kohli, who is very animated, very passionate, and very boisterous on the field,” Hayden said during a media interaction.
“In fact, I would go as far as to say he is almost the opposite personality to someone like Virat Kohli, who is very animated, very passionate, and very boisterous on the field,” he added. Speaking about Babar’s traits as a batter, Hayden said the Pakistan skipper’s wonderful temperament allows him to perform consistently,” he added.
The former Australian opener added that Azam has a “great control and wonderful temperament” which gives him the ability to perform consistently.
“He has great control and a wonderful temperament. Just to give you an insight into that talent, his ability to be able to consistently be able to react to the ball is second to none from what I’ve seen. He picks up the line and the length of the ball quicker than the average cricketer that is going around. That is the mark of someone that is a very fine player,” Hayden said.
As is known, the T20 World Cup 2021 produced contrasting results for the respective sides of Kohli and Azam. While India crashed out of the league stage due to poor start, Pakistan is comfortably sitting in the final four of the ICC event. Azam-led side will face Australia in the second semifinal of the tournament today in Dubai.
The first semi final was won by New Zealand as the Blackcaps defeated England by five wickets in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
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