No comparison between myself and Virat Kohli right now, states Babar Azam
Babar Azam expressed his admiration for Virat Kohli and admitted that there is currently no comparison between him and the Indian and revealed that he is striving to come on par with him. Babar also conceded that he is looking forward to score a triple ton as he strives for consistency in Tests.
While the Australia series was one to forget for Pakistan, Babar Azam, who regained his prolific form, was the only bright spot for them in the whole tour. What seemed to be a futile effort to save the Test match, Babar’s ton in the second innings of the Brisbane Test turned out to be the spark which has now turned into a fiery fire as the 24-year-old followed it up with a 97 in Adelaide and a ton in Rawalpindi to announce the return of Test cricket to the nation.
Speaking of his recent form, Babar admitted that one day, he wants to be on par with India skipper Virat Kohli who is currently the No.1 Test and ODI batsman in the world. Playing down his comparisons with Kohli, Babar pointed out that he is a legend of the game and it demands a lot of consistency to break into the list of top batsmen of the world.
"Look he (Kohli) has already achieved a lot. He is a legend in his country. Honestly there is no comparison with me right now but eventually I also want to get where he is today," TOI quoted Azam as saying.
"The media and people have drawn comparisons between me and Virat Kohli but I realise that I still need to get more runs in red ball cricket to be ranked among the top players. That is why in recent months I have been focusing a lot on getting consistent scores in Test matches.”
Babar shared that all the comparisons don't distract him as he is now working on learning from his previous mistakes. The prolific Pakistan batsman shared that he is setting goals for himself to achieve and is looking to score a triple ton as he strives towards consistency in the longest format of the game. Babar has scored two tons and a 97 in his last three Tests.
"I don't feel any pressure if anyone compares me with Kohli or (Steve) Smith. I am now more focused on my batting and I spend hours watching videos of my innings. I catch my mistakes and then I try to ensure I don't commit them again the next time," he shared.
"When I got out cheaply to a bad shot in the first innings at Brisbane, I was very cross with myself because I realised no top batman should get out like that. In the following innings I made it a point to be patient and build my innings although playing strokes comes naturally to me.
"Someday I am looking at a triple century. You need to set yourself goals as all top players do. I have set myself the target of becoming consistent in Test cricket as well."