Pakistan cricket star Babar Azam and Indian cricket star Virat Kohli are at the center of attention once again during the India-Pakistan encounter in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, but for different reasons. The former Pakistan captain could only manage 23 of 26 balls as he became the opening wicket for India in their group-stage encounter. The star batsman was under a barrage of criticism for failing on the big stage yet again as he was caught behind trying to play his trademark cover drive against Hardik Pandya.

However, the criticism doubled when Kohli showed his class against Pakistan again. The Indian former captain loves playing against the arch-rivals as he scored his 52nd ODI hundred and the 82nd of his glorious career. Considering the fans have created some kind of rivalry between Azam and Kohli, the cricket experts are not buying the rivalry one bit.

We always compare Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. Now tell me, who is hero of Virat Kohli? Sachin Tendulkar has scored 100 centuries, and Virat is chasing his legacy. Who is Babar Azam’s hero? Tuk tuk (Without naming any cricketer).

Shoaib Akhtar said on Tapmad

Babar Azam is not the true king; it is Virat Kohli. Look at his performances—he has dominated all over the world. We need to move beyond the PR machinery and focus on real performers.

Mohammad Hafeez said on Tapmad

How The Babar Azam Virat Kohli Debate Started

The question is whether the Babar Azam Virat Kohli debate is ever substantial. If we dive into it, the numbers put the debate on full stop before it even began. There were comparisons between both players in terms of how they played the game. However, the comparisons really went across the board after Pakistan’s 10-wicket win against India in the 2021 World T20. That remains Pakistan’s only win against the Blues in the ICC World Cup events.

After that, Azam started scoring runs consistently and became the No.1 ranked batter in T20is and ODis. In 2022, he scored four test centuries and was on the cusp of clinching the top spot in the ICC test rankings. During that time, Kohli was on a century drought as he had not scored a ton between 2019 and 2022.

How The Comparison Titled

Things totally changed after that as Babar Azam never scored an international ton after the 2023 Asia Cup first match against Nepal. On the flip side, Virat Kohli rediscovered his form after the 2022 Asia Cup, where he ended his century drought against Afghanistan. He became a totally different player as he smashed ODI hundreds and became the highest run getter at the ICC World Cup 2023.

In 2024, he struggled for runs across all formats, like Azam. However, he once again turned up on the big occasion in the ICC World T20 Final, scoring 76 runs and became the Man of the Match. That was the last T20i that he ever played in as he announced his T20i retirement shortly after. On the other hand, Azam’s form completely fell off a cliff as Pakistan secured early exits at the World T20 as he had to give up on his captaincy for the second time in two years.

In the ICC Champions Trophy, the comparison looks to have ended as Azam has lost his No.1 spot in the ICC ODI ranking whereas Kohli is still turning up on the big occasions. If he continues to play the way he is playing, he could become No.1 ranked ODI player again in the future. Currently, it is Shubman Gill sitting at the top, who has also scored a match-winning ton earlier in the tournament against Bangladesh.

End Of Rant

Virat Kohli is the undisputed king of the modern game. His ability to maintain his fitness at the age of 37 speaks volumes about the athlete he is. On the flip side, Babar Azam is not even the benchmark of his team as many other players have performed better across all formats than him. Hence, the comparisons should die today, which could benefit Azam in the long run if he wants to regain his form and place in the cricketing world. For more fearless sports coverage, visit Stadium Rant.