'Stop comparing Babar Azam with Virat Kohli' - Irfan Pathan requests fans to end debate after Colombo encounter

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged cricket fans to put an end to the constant comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India in their T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo. Pathan’s remarks came after Babar endured yet another difficult outing against India, managing just five runs off seven deliveries as Pakistan were comprehensively outplayed.

Pathan drew attention to Kohli’s history of delivering under pressure and questioned whether Babar has produced a comparable innings on the biggest stage.

"And please, stop comparing Babar Azam with Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli is in a different league. Look at his innings against Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup has Babar ever played such a knock under pressure? Apart from 2021, when dew played a big role, how many times has Babar absorbed pressure and finished games like that?" said Pathan on his Youtube channel.

Pathan further analysed Babar’s dismissal in the Colombo clash, as he was bowled by Axar Patel when he tried to slog sweep the left-arm spinner. Irfan suggested that the former Pakistan captain failed to read the match situation correctly. With wickets already down, the Baroda-born felt Babar needed to take responsibility and bat deeper into the innings rather than opting for risky shot selection.

"With three wickets down, he should have batted till the 15th over, focused on singles and doubles, and played a long innings. Even a strike rate of 120 would have been acceptable given the scoreboard pressure. Instead, he went for a big shot and got out. He doesn’t consistently have the ability to clear boundaries at will, nor to rotate strike freely in the middle overs against quality spin when the ball grips," he added.

The former all-rounder did not hold back while assessing the broader issues in Pakistan’s batting unit, pointing to a lack of clarity and depth that has hurt them in high-pressure games. The cricketer-turned-commentator also questioned the overall strength of Pakistan’s batting lineup, particularly in comparison to their bowling resources.

"Because of that approach, Pakistan couldn’t even bat the full 20 overs. This was a shameful defeat no doubt about it. Once India reached 175, the match was practically over because Pakistan’s batting simply lacks strength. I had said before the match that people are praising Pakistan’s bowling this time, but what about their batting? Their batting lacks depth and approach," he reflected.

Babar's dismissal once again highlighted his ongoing struggles against India in the T20I format. Since his 68 in the 2021 T20 World Cup, wherein the Men in Green have their only T20 World Cup win against India, the former Pakistan captain has recorded scores of 10, 14, 0, 13, and 5 against the arch-rivals.

Across six matches against India in T20Is, Babar has accumulated only 110 runs at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 123.59, numbers that underline the growing contrast in big-match impact between the two batters. Though Babar Azam currently has the most runs in T20Is, scoring 4,571 runs at an average of 39.06 in 135 innings at a strike rate of 128, his impact against top opposition in high-pressure games has remained a point of debate.

In contrast, Kohli’s record against Pakistan and in global tournaments continues to underline his reputation as one of the game’s modern greats. The former India captain has featured in 125 T20 Internationals, scoring 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137. He has twice won the Player of the Tournament award at the T20 World Cup, in 2014 and 2016.

Against Pakistan specifically, Kohli has produced a series of defining knocks on the biggest occasions, including the iconic 82 in Melbourne in 2022, 78 in 2012, 55* in the 2016 edition, and 49 in the 2016 Asia Cup.