Babar Azam, celebrated for his refined strokeplay and widely regarded as one of the standout batters of his era, is currently steering Peshawar Zalmi as captain in the 2026 Pakistan Super League. Beyond his batting performances, the 2026 season has also brought him attention off the field, after a heated exchange involving a journalist—centered on comparisons to Virat Kohli, a name Babar is often linked with. Under Babar’s leadership, Zalmi have started the campaign perfectly, remaining unbeaten in their first three matches of the ongoing PSL.
On Wednesday night, Zalmi edged Hyderabad Kingsmen in a thrilling finish, winning on the final ball of the contest. Hyderabad, who batted first, managed only 146 runs. While the target looked manageable on paper, Peshawar’s batters struggled to convert a workable phase into a polished chase, missing the opportunity to close the game comfortably.
The chase was largely driven by Babar himself, as he struck 47 off 37 deliveries, including six fours. Even after getting himself into a solid position, he was unable to push on and steer the innings to the finish line. His struggles to close out matches have once again put his white-ball finishing reputation under the microscope, prompting the journalist to draw a direct line between Babar’s limitations and Virat Kohli’s reputation as a high-pressure finisher for India.
The comparison isn’t new—Babar and Virat have frequently been measured against each other based on their shot-making and their ability to take games to completion in crucial phases for their respective national sides. In response, Babar moved quickly to shut down the narrative, describing it as a “misconception” and insisting he has finished matches for his team on multiple occasions during his post-match press conference.
After the game, a journalist posted on X and asked: “Virat Kohli plays with the same kind of shots as you, but he finishes the match, something you lack. People compare him to you. What do you think about that comparison?”
Rather than waiting for the full question to end, Babar cut in immediately and replied: “Take these things as your own views. End the comparison and move on. It’s your misconception that I have not finished matches.”
Unfair to reduce Babar’s value to strike-rate alone
With modern cricket increasingly shaped by numbers, it’s easy to let statistics dominate the conversation—but focusing only on Babar’s strike rate misses the bigger picture. Over the past decade, despite repeated scrutiny in T20 cricket, he has remained Pakistan’s most dependable and prolific run-scorer in the format. Across 145 T20I matches, he has scored more than 4500 runs.
Even with a strike rate around 128, Babar’s knack for holding the innings together during the middle overs continues to stand out. His run-making role is reflected in his average, which sits near 39 — a sign of how consistently he has managed to keep Pakistan competitive when the match demands patience.
Babar is also PSL’s leading run-getter of all time, with over 3800 runs to his name. This season, he has made a steady start, scoring 82 runs across his first two innings. A batter of his calibre will be looking to rewrite the story this time—not only with answers off the pitch, but by letting his bat deliver the final word as the tournament progresses.
