Comparisons with Virat Kohli is the primary reason behind Babar Azam's downfall: Ahmed Shehzad

When Babar Azam made his international debut in May 2015, Virat Kohli had already become a household name in world cricket, having won marquee events like the ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He was also named Player of the Tournament in the 2014 T20 World Cup. As Babar began to score runs consistently for Pakistan, a section of the cricket fraternity started comparing him to Kohli.

Former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad believes that this comparison has been detrimental to Babar as it has put him under more pressure to perform on a regular basis. Shehzad stated that Kohli can't be compared to any other cricketer. According to the cricketer-turned-expert, even the iconic MS Dhoni isn't as good a batter or an athlete as Kohli.

“When everything was going well, you were running campaigns comparing players. Now that the performances are not coming, you are saying ‘don’t compare two players’. Why not? Virat Kohli’s comparison cannot be made with anyone in the world. He is a legend of this generation, a role model. You cannot compare him even with MS Dhoni. Dhoni may have been a great captain, but as a batter, cricketer, and athlete, Kohli stands alone. No one should be compared with anyone because it’s unfair and it adds extra pressure, which we are now seeing on Babar Azam,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by GeoSuper.

Babar has been going through a rather long lean patch in international cricket. The dismal performances have seen him losing his place in the Test and T20I sides. While he did manage to make a comeback to the Test setup during the home series against the West Indies in January 2025, he hasn't played T20I cricket since December 2024.

In the recently-concluded ODI series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, the 30-year-old could only register scores of 47 (64), 0 (3), and 9 (23) in three matches, respectively. Babar has been drawing severe criticism from Pakistan fans for his abysmal performances.