Virat Kohli versus Babar Azam is the most hotly-debated topic in modern-era cricket which makes up for a perfect comparison as well – they are from rival nations, are top-order batters, have led their countries even in ICC tournaments and have been great batters across formats. Not to forget, they both carve out the best cover drives. Veterans and analysts have often had their say on the comparison at every stage of their career so far and recently former Pakistan pacer Aqib Javed joined the bandwagon. 

Speaking on ARY News’ show Sports Room, Javed was asked to choose between Kohli and Babar in the rapid-fire round and he picked his compatriot based on Kohli’s recent dip in numbers across formats. 

The former cricketer, who was part of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning side, opined that Kohli is past his peak and now on a downhill track in his career, leaving Babar well ahead in the race. He further added that the latter’s graph is now on the rise. 

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“Now I think Babar is ahead. He [Kohli] had his peak but now going down. But Babar, on the other hand, is going up,” Javed said.

Back in 2021, Babar had praised Kohli when asked about how he feels about the comparison, calling him one of world’s best and admitted that the comparison only makes him proud.

“Virat Kohli is one of the best players in the world. He has performed everywhere and in big matches. When people compare us, I don’t feel pressure, I feel proud because they are comparing me with such a big player,” Babar had told Khaleej Times.

“Personally, I don’t think there should be a comparison, but people do that and I feel happy. So my aim is to perform the way he does and help my team win matches and make Pakistan proud. Look, we are different players. I have my style of playing and he has his style. So I try to perform to the best of my ability,” he later added.